Magical Trickster DxD
by SocialistBukharin
Summary: I would have preferred to keep away from the main story but... fate is not having any of it. (OC-SI) (Mostly Canon Pairings) (Some Magic World-Building) (FLUFF here and there) (Also some X-Overing) [Rework is now available! Check 'Magical Trickster DxD ReBorn!]
1. Why one should always be careful

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 1****: Why one should always be careful**

* * *

As a renowned establishment for students seeking high-grade education, Kuoh Academy did make its good figure with its illustrious teacher staff and model rule-book.

Once an All-Girl school, the decision to switch to a co-ed system was agreed unanimously by the past school board after the large increase of funds received years ago, the money allowing the construction of a prominent complex of buildings styled after a mix of Japanese and European unique tones.

A prestigious place of culture that only had a simple but persistent issue that gave to the whole Academy a less than pleasant reputation: the Perverted Trio.

While perverts were a glaring problem back when the decision of opening to male students was approved, the stern rules that were applied at the time managed to destroy most of the pests studying at the high school.

The Trio was a special case as the female population did see them as a threat to deal with personally, feeling quite attacked by their lecherous ways.

At least that was the known part of the story.

There was another deterrent the Trio was supposed to deal with all those times they tried to lewd after innocent, but very violent, girls.

It was during an hour after the end of the school day when the first burst of girly shrieks reached my years and, having been doing this for months now, I knew that the owner of such shrieks wasn't female at all.

"Motohama! You better not be hiding in the Girl's storage room again!" I shouted as I slowly patrolled the area, sweating a little after the brief chase I was previously engaged in trying to find the last of the two present perverts today.

While his comrade has fallen to the 'kindness' the girls leaving from the volleyball practice wanted to return after some caught the two while they were peeping on them, the glass-wearing fiend managed to avoid being given a beating of the pervert-kind.

No honor among idiots, I thought tiredly as I continued for my little game of hide and seek with the young teen.

"Man, this isn't the first time we do this and you know that making things harder will not get you out of this situation."

There was some noises now erupting from the storage room, a familiar pervert slamming the doors open while trying to make a run for it, failing to remember I was far too close for him to avoid being tackled.

Slamming head first, the boy groaned under my weight and soon I had him pulled up.

"C-Can we talk about this, H-Hoitsu-kun?" He let out a quick, nervous chuckle which I replied with a sigh.

"We can chat about the nice weather and how is school, but sadly I cannot have you skip righteous punishment;" I stated quietly, ignoring the panic surging from my words.

He squirmed as we started to slowly walk towards the girl approaching us.

Long straight black hair that reached down to her knees split into several bangs and heterochromatic eyes, one a soft violet while the other with a pleasant chocolate shade, Tsubaki Shinra was a gorgeous young woman. The Vice-president of the Student Council and my 'Second' Boss, the bespectacled lady was someone with an admirable sense of duty for her work.

She nodded at once she was close enough to understand the predicament she was staring at.

"Motohama-san and Matsuda-san caused chaos once again?" Tsubaki asked in a rhetorical voice before sighing. "I would have thought you two would have learned from getting beaten so harshly last time."

Surprisingly enough the glass-wearing pervert huffed. "The girls were violent a-and the council shouldn't condone this kind of viole-Eeck!" The boy tried to pull away from my grasp, noticing almost instantly the glare the girl was giving to him.

"Violence that is caused by your unbecoming acts, pervert." She scolded sternly, earning another whimper from the teen as we escorted him to the teacher lounge.

As one of the senseis picked the boy out of our jurisdiction to deal with him, I started to walk back toward the student council's room with Tsubaki.

"Those three are incredibly resilient to the ministrations of the strongest females in this school. I do reckon that-"

"N-Now that I remember about it- Sorry, Hoitsu-san, I didn't want to interrupt you but..." The girl sighed and continued. "Sona-buchou said that today's session will not happen. Momo and Tomoe were busy with some important appointments and couldn't participate, thus it has been de-"

"-layed." I interrupted with a small smile, Tsubaki blushing a little. "There is no need to make this kind of news this much developed. Still, thank you for the warning, Tsubaki-san."

She nodded happily as we parted ways, I didn't have now a reason to go to the council's room and thus decided to walk back home.

Homework wasn't going to be done without my input and today Math-sensei did leave quite the heavy work to see completed for tomorrow.

Yawning quietly, I paced through the halls of the school to reach the main entrance, a large corridor that led right to the glass doors that divided the school building from the outside courtyard.

I was about to reach out for one of the doors' handles when I heard footsteps approaching me. Blinking, I turned around and I was found myself greeted by a smiling brunet which I was familiar to, much to my dismay.

"Issei-kun?" I muttered curiously as this was the first time he didn't waste time around the other two perverts and… didn't he disappear for most of the school time?

"Hoitsu-senpai, can I walk with you back home? I need to tell you about some epic news and-"  
I sighed tiredly at the cheerful tone, dreading at what 'epic' things the younger teen had done today. There were so many terrible things I could be hearing once we were out of the building and…

I think I was seeing that part of the story, the beginning of DxD and… _how did I miss Raynare?!_

* * *

"Rias-buchou is awesome, senpai." The brunet continued to tell about accepting the invitation to the Occult Club led by the redhead beauty, Rias Gremory.

_My name is Hoitsu Sakakibara… or is it Sakakibara Hoitsu? Japanese styling of names and all... Anyway! I'm what many would call a Self-Insert, someone from the 'original world' that is either moved to a different universe or replaces a determined character, important (and known) or secondary (and particularly unknown). _

"...a-and then there was this shower built inside and…"

_My situation is a replacement of a character I'm fairly sure is a… OC, a person that within the 'Canon' version of this universe shouldn't be existing._

"...Oppai!…"

_I woke up a few months ago, way earlier than the beginning of the plot. I was already enlisted to Kuoh Academy by the time I found myself in this world of Devils, Fallen Angels, and True Angels, but the preparation I have planned to avoid some of the more 'unpleasant notes' of this series have yet to be completed._

"...Koneko-chan is adorable!…"

_I wormed myself in the Student Council, obtaining the rule as a serious treasurer under Sona's leadership. The role came as a surprise as I expected that, even with the elections that saw me appointed to the position, Sona would have meddled with the results._

"...Akeno-senpai is so nice and-…"

_Still, I didn't show any wrong reaction in accepting the charge, showing merely happiness at the 'results of my hard work'. I knew I did more than enough to conquer the place, but the doubt of losing that seat of power because of favoritism regarding her peerage? That was a legitimate fear of mine._

"...Kiba looks like a jerk…"

_And while I consolidated myself at school, I actually managed to find some magic books a few weeks ago. The pace of learning and training the Arcane Arts only delayed by the duties at school and the nagging of my new parents regarding my grades at school._

_I was doing pretty well with exams but I ended up with a man and a woman that wished for their son to strive and reach the highest point in society. A big objective that I hardly considered to achieve, since there were more important situation to deal with first-_

"Ne, senpai. Are you ignoring me… again?"

I blinked back to reality as I caught Issei's words, glancing quickly at him and shrugging sheepishly. "Sorry, Ise. Dealing with stuff with the council and-"

"Oh? Is it Sona-senpai or Tsubaki-senpai the 'stuff' that you are dealing with?"

The lewd tone, I didn't like. Thus I proceeded to land a quick karate chop on his head and, while this might have caused a reaction with little strength, I decided to add a little more as I knew that the boy wasn't human anymore.

The hit did work miracle as the teen recoiled at the quick punishment, huffing at the 'treacherous tone' I had around the Perverted Trio. "S-Senpai, this is unfair! You have many gorgeous women around and you refuse the accept the idea of having a harem-"

"Because it is a flawed idea of making everyone happy, Ise." I replied quickly, this bickering not the first regarding this very topic. "A man can't give equal love to more than a woman. The relationship would be unhealthy and get very unstable after some time."

He pouted but, like always, decided to not continue the losing battle.

"Still, to be invited to the Occult Club by Rias-san herself?" I chose to bring some little relief in that defeat of his. "You have to have caught her eye with whatever you did… that wasn't perverted."

He blinked, his cheek reddening in embarrassment. "J-Just being normal but trustworthy-" Issei's eyes blinked as he found himself staring at the ground. "I… Senpai?"

"Mhh?" Now that was a quick change of personality.

"D-Do you believe me about… Yuuma-chan?"

I blinked in surprise at that question. I did kind of forget that this little thing was a reason for Issei to doubt himself and…

I sighed. "I don't believe that." At hearing my words he deflated immensely. "No, I _**know**_ that there was a girl that asked you out."

… "Eh?!"

"Ise, you were shouting about this yesterday, bragging how a 'connoisseur of the fine female body' can get a girlfriend."

He had the decency to blush again. "I-It wasn't that bad and-"

The new Devil stopped, eyes widening as he looked up in the sky and I frowned as I realized where we were right now.

I could recognize the fountain and the benches, I could recognize the trees near the free paths of this… park. The sky looked as if it had been painted by someone suffering from some heavy LSDs influence and I tensed as I felt someone walking right behind us.

"To think I would end up encountering a human and a Devil this late in the day." We turned to see a man wearing a trenchcoat and a hat, both apparels hiding his appearance from us but… I knew who we were looking at.

Dohnaseek, one of the few Fallen Angels that joined Raynare and Kokabiel in their little rebellion against Azazel.

Issei looked scared, possibly comparing this very situation to the one that saw him dying against the backstabbing lady that had him on a date. He looked ready to run away but he stood quiet as he noticed that I wasn't particularly fearful of the predicament.

"S-Senpai-"

"I know, Ise." I said quickly, understanding his concerns but… feeling quite ready to face someone of his caliber. "But I have a plan."

The middle-aged man chuckled. "'A plan'? Do you seriously think anything you could come up with would work on me?"

I smiled widely. "I can assure you that my plan is the best plan possible and… you should have expected guests." My finger pointed right behind him and he turned to look, trying to find any intruders he had not detected and…

…

There was no one.

He turned around, mouth open and ready to call out my bluff but he stopped at what I was trying to pull.

Pumping energy the moment he had turned around, I grabbed Issei close and turned around myself, leg moving quickly and swiftly as I muttered a grand hero's true strategy out-loud.

"Nigerundayo, Ise!"

… "WHAT?" The brunet yelled under my arm, squirming a little as I rushed deeper into the foliage.  
"You little shits!" Dohnaseek looked absolutely pissed and tried to pull his flight to try and intercept us-

**BAM**

-Ending up slamming on some tree branches in the process. Face bleeding and his mind completely gone because of the humiliation and the injury, the Fallen Angel didn't stop in his pursuit and continued to give chase.

I sighed as I decided that the distance we got over him was enough to start laying down a new plan. Turning some of the corners, I jumped on a bush, Issei yelping as he took most of the fall damage in the process.

"S-Senpai, what are you-"

"Be quiet, Ise." I stated with a stern tone, hands glowing as I started to place some magical signs all over the trees... "This is my real plan."

The lights coming from the seals dimmed and soon disappeared as nothing had happened.

"Now you stay here as I deal with this annoyance, ok?"

"S-Senpai, don't-" But despite his best attempt to keep me from leaving the hideout, I yawned as I walked on the clearing and waited to be spotted by the Fallen Angel.

"There you are!" Launching in a burst of speed, the middle-aged man gave off an animalistic glare, akin to a predator finally catching its prey and then- **WHIP**

Eyes widening, Dohnaseek dropped the Light Spear he had created while rushing towards me, several silver-colored strings keeping him stuck still.

"For being someone that pride himself as one of the 'strongest', you sure suck in keeping yourself out of an ambush, Dohnaseek-san."  
He tensed at his real name being mentioned. "Y-You bastard-UGH!" The strings started to squeeze at him and I sighed.

"To think that a simple spell like the '**Silver Lining**' one can give you this much trouble and…" I crouched to pick the still-present Spear, humming at its magical composition. "What an interesting conjuration…"

"You pitiful human! Once your Magical Coils go empty, your life is forfei- **STAB** \- !"

The previously clean spear was now stained with blood, the man looking down as I continued to push it deeper inside his torso. Trembling in pain and fear, the Fallen Angel seemed to have understood that this wasn't going to be a warning for his group.

There wouldn't be any warning for traitors. I sighed again this time showing a curt smile. "Your little rebellion is going to end very soon. Kokabiel isn't the sharpest planner, isn't he?"

His eyes widened even more at the mentioning of his boss but his attention was mostly diverted in trying to live through the painful experience but-

**STAB**

The spear was pulled out almost instantly and pushed once more in his body, the damaged part being… his heart.

There was an instance of inner realization that his life was dimming and slowly he slouched over the strings of platinum. I waited a few more moments before pulling the spear out, letting the weapon collapse and release its energy, letting it seep in my reserves for further study.

"S-Senpai?!"

I blinked and turned around to see a shell-shocked Issei, glancing back and forth between me and the dying Dohnaseek.

"I will explain what is going on tomorrow, Ise." I stated without leaving much room for protests and patted his shoulders as I went towards him. He looked confused, frightened at the scene I left behind as the strings finally faded away, letting the man's corpse hit the ground.

"Right now… you should back to the fountain. I think Rias-san should be there and… Do keep quiet about me." I squeezed his shoulders again. "I am serious, do try and keep quiet about what has happened here, say that you managed to out-run the Fallen Angel and… I will be thankful."

He relaxed a little, his shoulders sagging as he nodded at my request. "B-But why are-"

"I know that secrecy sucks but… I need to avoid being noticed by some people. You do me this favor, buddy, and I will tell you about the answers you have and that your boss didn't even mention to tell you about. Capisce?"

He nodded and I sighed. "Good, then go and… have a good day."

I started to quickly pace towards the exit of the park, avoiding the normally-used paths that could be easily monitored and managed to get out of the area without being noticed.

This night? I consider it a failure as _**now I will have to act more directly towards the plot from now on…**_

* * *

**AN**

**This will update every two Saturdays, I am taking the Consultant off the hook for a while as I am experiencing some writer's block about it.**

**Anyway, we dipping in the land of Lewd and Perverts but this OC-I will not act upon the primal predicament of the universe but focus on something more important and… that everyone crave as much as pron… and that is FLUFF AND HEAD-PATTING!**

… **Heh, mostly JK but yeah I will add some fluff and some minor little sisters army, not a harem but… an army of sort, yes.**

**I know that I might have left some Grammar errors around but the issue is that I can't find a proper BR nowadays. If someone is interested in Beta-reading this story, and that means some seriousness as I will not accept any slackers on the job (something I had experienced most of the times with my attempts in finding a beta-reader). Anyway, let us make the best out of this story… shall we?**

**EDIT: Decided to start looking back at the old chapters and correct the mistakes when I can. I think I got all if not most of the mistakes of the first draft this time 'round.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	2. Mistakes were Made

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 2****: Mistakes were Made**

* * *

This wasn't going to be an easy morning.

Yawning tiredly, I managed to pick myself off the bed, surprisingly avoiding once more getting ensnared by the alluring craving for more sleep.

Dohnaseek's words about my coils echoed in my brain, pointing out how I was still fairly new with the whole Magic sthick. My entire body was still recovering from the straining encounter of the previous night and I would be lying in saying I didn't have a certain inner whining about more sleep.

If it hadn't been that I did have something important today, I would have considered the notion, weighting if skipping a day would or not spark the suspicions of Rias.

Sure, I knew that Sona was too much busy with her own problems regarding the school and her situation in Hell, but the Gremory was the one that keeps an eye open for any possible threat in their fiefs.

While I was still a noob, I was a Magician in the making in everyone's book. The Silver Lining was a good proof that I knew few things about the basics, being able to turn a 'Containment Spell' from the Japanese Spellcraft in something useful for the predicament I had to deal the day before.

The death of the Fallen Angel was going to have the dual effect of bringing more attention to the presence of curious individuals near the school and making Raynare a little nervous over the current pace of their operations.

If I played my cards well, I could easily catch Asia before she can even consider approaching the rebelling Fallen Angels and gaining an ally in the process, which I would more than happily assign to live at the Hyoudou residence.

Why that place and not my home? The first reason was that my new parents were no-nonsense kind of people and would turn down politely any offer of housing the nun; the second reason was that I would then gain some respect from Issei, the boy understanding that I was putting some trust about his capacity to not cause any perverted act around the naive girl.

While I was perfectly sure that he would eventually end up doing some unconscious lecherous acts, those were partly-acceptable as… they weren't planned.

Plus if the situation evolved accordingly to Canon, Asia would manage to mitigate the perverted nature of Issei… which was a good thing for him and my plan.

Standing up from the bed, I glanced at my PC and smiled as I remembered the little idea I had about keeping 'suspicious' books in my room.

Two weeks of afternoons spent writing down the content of the books in some documents within the computer, taking photos of all the signs that couldn't be reproduced with the keyboard, I had two whole books regarding Japanese Spellcraft and basic healing techniques saved in a safe folder hidden by two passwords.

A very complex scheme that became a necessity with the possibility of being eventually tailed around by people or getting my room violated by unwanted intruders.

Speaking of 'people', before going to catch some rest I did spend some time browsing around in search of a very important contact's details.

With the plans of Kokabiel entering in motion in mere months, it became a must to inform Azazel of what was going to happen Kuoh Town. The man might have some limited interest in Issei, but I was fairly unsure if said interest did span to a level of keeping the brunet under constant surveillance, excluding Raynare's missed duty.

It was a long guess, but if I managed to pass on him the memo that someone was planning to start another Great War while also trying to cause problems within Grigori and gave him some proof of these possibilities, I could easily get some indirect help from him.

Setting up an untraceable post within my PC was something that drained even more of my free time but also part of my available funds, either from pocket money or small rewards from odd jobs around the city.

It was enough to get me to send a lengthy message to the Governor-General, a message that contained pictures with dates and the place where these were taken, and peculiar bank transactions visible that were gained by browsing within some Grigori-owned branches without being spotted by the efficient security system enforced by the former Fifth-Heaven-led organization.

As I finished putting on my school uniform, I noticed that my right hand, the one that had absorbed the 'Heavenly Energy' from Dohnaseek's final Light Spear, was still suffering some irritation from the minor adjustment to the coils contained within it.

Creating a separate section of my Magical Core meant to be used to accumulate holy energy was a blunder I conceptualized from some theories alluded within the Healing Book I had yet to finish to study about.

A Magical Core was something unique that was present within all living beings, the main reactor for everyone's life but only a minor percentage of people could really tap into it and do spells.

Its general purpose was to sustain only a single type of energy, rarely two if the being was something close or a hybrid, most of the cases being Fallen Angels that were born by pure Fallen Angels and humans.

Since my body couldn't hope to survive a sudden injection of holy energy with my 'Mundane' type, I decided to try and test if the Mithridates' method could be used in this specific situation.

Mithridatism was usually applied about building some immunity to poison by ingesting a small and gradual quantity of non-lethal poison. In this predicament of mine, by slowly filtering the Holy energy within my core without causing any major issues with my current biology.

Some sickness was expected, some minor aching and a partial sensation that was akin to drugs' withdrawal were partly possible, but the worst, which was a complete rejection of the new energy, was nigh-impossible to happen as I wasn't a Devil.

A Devil was incredibly weak against Holy energy which made 'energy transfusion' of said type of energy within a Devil's body a known failure and death of the subject.

Putting on some bandages over the hand, I decided to also wear a glove with some minor runes that hid the energy pattern contained within it, keeping an extra layer of disguise from any Devil specialized in energy-detection.

It wasn't much, but I was going to have an easier time at school today.

Walking downstairs, I was greeted by a steamy plate of bacon and scrambled eggs and a small paper sitting right beside the food on the table.

I blinked, curiosity deciding to peek out as I started to read quietly the content of the small thing.  
We will be working overtime and will be home later than usual.

Simple, curt and very positive. This message did offer some more opportunity to further study and expand from the books available and see if I could get some more texts I could learn from.

With general happiness plastered in my face, I walked out of my house with a satisfied belly and an intriguing possibility to deal after a normal day at school.

I yawned, my attention keeping fixed on the teacher as I continued to half-listen to today's lesson about Japanese literature.

I admit I didn't expect the subject to hold this level of difficulty, with its deep poetry and narration of the various periods, detailing the Shoguns and the Daimyos. Still, it wasn't worse by any mean to European literature, managing to get close but also… not close enough to make my head hurts every single lesson.

Part of my focus was also split between looking at Akeno and Rias, both girls being in the same class as I was, the two girls were the favorites of the school by both teachers and students.

Beautiful, smart and morally graceful. Those two were quite the grand rewards for many young men, respectfully holding a similar kind of appeal that made them popular while also lovable.

A position that many women would envy but was actually praised and quickly accepted by all girls, which showed that their reputation was way above than the kind that air-headed divas would have in a normal school-centered scenario.

I continued to keep a good composure for the rest of the hour, quickly walking out of the classroom the moment the teacher confirmed the end of the class and allowed the students to leave the room.

A minor pause of ten minutes would ensue, brief but good enough to approach Issei and give him some more details about our future little chat.

Finding the brunet turned out to be quite simple as the boy was usually wandering around the entrance of his classroom during the pauses and, a few moments later, I was patting his shoulder with a small smile much to his panic and surprise.

A little yelp left his mouth but he stopped himself from letting out anything remotely girly the moment his eyes noticed my figure and recognized me. "O-Oh, Hoitsu-senpai."

"Good morning, Ise-kohai. Might I remind you about our discussion about Drag So-Ball?"

He blinked in confusion, then a flash of recognition washed on his face. "R-Right, almost forgot about it… it should be in-"

"The thirty-minutes pause after our third lesson. We shall catch up on the roof to discuss the latest episode."

His eyes glowed a little as I knew he was a fan of the Dragon Ball's rip-off. "You mean the Super Dragon 3 transformation and Satoru going against Mango Belus? That was-"

"Incredible, I know!" I smiled widely as I did catch some glimpses of the episode as…  
I missed watching Dragon Ball and what was available in this dimension did make a good figure compared to the legendary anime.

"Still I wonder, what do you think of the let-down of Sora? He managed to beat Terminator X and seemed to be ready to become the new protagonist-"

"But they make him go out so easily..." The new Devil replied with a gloomy face, showing annoyance about the producers' decision. "It's kind of sad but I guess Satoru is kind of more popular, it wouldn't have done him justice if he lost his importance."

"I guess you are right." I nodded in agreement, finding the parallelism between Gohan and Sora quite... identical in certain points. "Then I suppose we can continue later- and remember to not do anything 'weird' in the meantime. I would hate to have to pick you up and personally have you sent to deal with a teacher's lecture."

Issei bowed his head in embarrassment, yet his eyes hardly kept still while he spoke. "I-I will make sure to not cause trouble, senpai."

I patted his shoulder once, sporting a small smile... "Good! Then we will see each other later, kohai."  
Turning around, I started to walk away from the boy, ignoring the mutterings of some students at the fact I did speak with a junior student. I was part of the Student Council and it had to be quite confusing to see me talk so calmly with a member of the Perverted Trio, no shades being thrown and all.

I guess I could have approached him in another way, but the rumors were hardly going to escalate without any further situation that might spark some unpleasant theories.

With a small sigh, I returned back to class and continued with today's lessons, ready to deal with two sessions of Math and one of Biology.

Three hours later and I found myself limping on my way to reach the roof.

The expected symptoms were starting to show in the form of severe pain going through my left leg and some minor itching by the chest's area.

I also felt feverish but still capable of formulating some logical thoughts and, after informing Sona herself that I wouldn't be able to participate the council session because of health problems, I decided to make my chat with Issei the last thing to do at school today, taking an early leave to return back home.

I completely miscalculated the time it would take for me to recover and only the Gods know how much I would have to rest before being able to experiment around with my magic.

At least I wasn't going to die, I mused darkly as I finally reached for the handle that led outside to the roof.

As the sudden light from the sun started to dim a little and my eyes slowly adjusted to it, I found myself staring at two individuals rather than the one I was expecting. Issei looked partly guilty as he shifted nervously from a seat quite distant from the smiling blond that was Kiba Yuuto standing near the only entrance to this place.

"Sakakibara-senpai, I'm sorry if I'm intruding but-" He turned to the nervous-looking brunet with a small smile. "Issei-kun told me that you were going to discuss Drag So-Ball and I am kind of… a fan of it." He winked my way and I restrained myself from sighing at the pretty boy's fake attempt to infiltrate the discussion.

I should have considered the fact both King and Queen of the Gremory's peerage would have avoided giving up some hints to any actions directed at me, maybe they knew that I was spotted leaving with Issei for the park when they 'rescued' him yesterday.

But still, the lack of a direct and more invasive confrontation from the redhead confirmed that Issei did keep his mouth shut about my role in killing Dohnaseek. That also meant I could give some respect to the usually pervy boy for not letting that secret go by a possible boob attack.

"Sure." I smiled widely, deciding to hide my minor annoyance as I knew what was happening anytime soon now. "Then I guess we should begin."

The two boys nodded, Kiba smiled happily while the other teen seemed to have taken a bite out of some lemon from how annoyed he looked. Such was the terrible thing known as 'aggressive intrusion'.

But I guess I have to explain why I had to go along with this ploy and not call out the pretty boy out of his silly act.

If I did urge him to leave, either diplomatically or violently, this action would be taken as evidence for further investigation and, frankly speaking, I did want to deal with Rias anytime soon. Especially without some power to protect me from an eventual 'unkind' reaction from hers.

So the discussion did happen, but it was only about the anime which only Issei and I knew about. Kiba didn't try to hide his lack of familiarity with the show, but he still tried to downplay it as some mere forgetfulness, a lie that was easily caught by both the brunet and me.

It was an odd situation that continued for about two more hours. My health deteriorated a little more but nothing alarming yet and, seeing that it was starting to get dark, I decided to conclude this chat with a few words for the poor Devil.

"Ise-kohai, I almost forgot. Can I ask you a favor?" I quietly asked.

The boy blinked and nodded, the blonde looking curious. "Sure, what do you need, senpai?"

"Tomorrow I might have to skip school," I said with a pained smile, my face has to be quite pale by now. "You see, yesterday I got a deep cut while preparing dinner and the medicines I had to use aren't particularly sitting well with my body. If it's not asking too much, could you make an effort to get a copy of the homework of tomorrow from Tsubaki-san-"

He tensed at hearing the stern woman but I was quick to assure his safety. "I- I will call her to tell about the situation. I-If you avoid any issues tomorrow she will be less prone to lecture you and get you some detention."

The teen nodded slowly and accepted the request. "I will do what I can, senpai."

"G-Good." I nodded too, my lips twitching in a brief situation of shivers. "Then I-I can give you my address so you can pass around tomorrow."

I took a small piece of paper and wrote down the address to my house, the boy nodding while storing it in one of his pockets. "Understood."

"T-Then I go as I think I will need some p-power nap after this little situation."

As I went towards the door, I saw Kiba walking by. "Do you need some help, senpai? You do seem quite…"

"I-I can hold until back home, Kiba-san." I nodded thankful at him, while I tried to dodge the little bullet there. "A-Also I don't want to get some r-rumors going about our current situation here."  
He blinked innocently. "What rumors, senpai?"

I looked back at Issei and the brunet didn't deign to look back much to my disappointment. "S-Something about your romantic inclinations. Don't wish for the rumor mill to hit us about that."  
"That sounds completely silly, senpai. No one would-"

"Did y-you know that girls are shipping you with Issei?" His confusion turned in dread. "I hope you will make sure to clarify the s-situation or the rumors will only end up getting w-worse."  
He nodded and I was granted the chance of leaving that place of dread behind as I ventured out of the school and towards home.

Reaching the modest-looking house, I sighed as I let my body hit the couch, the coziness almost taking my consciousness out as I tried to deal with the growing aches of the process, my stomach starting to softly groan at the terrible suffering it was subjected.

For the interest of everyone, I decided to avoid eating anything at lunch, knowing that it was now a matter of time before I would have to go to the bathroom and throw up what was left of my breakfast.  
A pity that I couldn't do anything with the extra hours of being alone but dealing with the regret coming from the results of my poorly-made choices.

I was about to close my eyes and let my sore brain drift away from that reality of pain when I heard a familiar and unholy sound reach out for me.

_**Ding Dong~**_

_God-frigging-dangit!_

I groaned on my pillow before slowly pulling myself out of that delightful place of comfort and back to the ever-aching situation of walking around. It was my sheer determination that got me towards the door and as I slowly opened it to see who was daring to disturb me in my moment of sorrow, my eyes were greeted back by a pair of golden ones. Then I stared up and I saw silver-hair and…

_Why was Koneko here?_

She had some books in her hands, grasping them softly as she looked a little bit nervous through her 'blank' mask. "I'm sorry if I'm here without notice… but I need your help, senpai."

… "W-What?"

"I… I have a Math exam tomorrow and Issei-san said that you were good at it. C-Can you help me with that?"

I knew that her tone was as fake as her current attempt of pulling a nervous expression, her act another attempt to investigate my presence at the park the night before and, as much as I wanted to kick her out for the sake I was in a world of pain already as I was now, I… decided to let her in.

"S-Sure."

She nodded and walked inside, eyes scanning inquisitively before settling to the living room table and placing the books there. The girl looked back, a patient glance while I slowly made my way towards the chair the opposite she was currently sitting on and I prepared myself to deal with possibly the last issue of today.

Gods, I hope I am not going to need to throw up to the bathroom now with a cute but dangerous character in my house.

* * *

**AN**

**First chibi is in and… Koneko is going to be kind of fun to 'write' next time. **

**The sweet-toothed Nekomata will have her main mission to find any evidence of our MC being implicated with the debacle of the day before… but will end up with something else. No, I don't plan to make something 'that' disgusting regarding the last bit of the chapter. I am not that cruel towards lil' chibis.**

**Also another thing, I might add 'one' big-boobed character to go after our MC, but it will happen much, much after, when there will be 'a reason' for the two to meet.**

**EDIT: Another chapter fully-corrected!**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Reader0007****: The character I planned for is partly 'Harem-stolen' but she has little connection with Ise if not for a minor but important reason so… yeah.**


	3. Of Study Sessions and Investigations

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 3****: Of Study Sessions and Investigations**

* * *

Koneko was starting to get bored after barely an hour of trying her best at Math.

As much as her dedication to her job and devotion to Rias was high enough to get her to start this slow and soporific study session, nothing did prepare her to deal with the dreadful subject's truest difficulty.

She had been twitching once or twice because her attempts of trying to solve the exercises she had brought for this session were quickly graded with some just attention.

I continued to analyze the minor errors sporadically lingering onto the paper and that rendered the equations wrong in several spots.

It wasn't something to be ashamed for, I was careful to point out during my corrections, as Math wasn't certainly the strongest point of everyone and, if I have to be honest, I was quite sure that she really needed this kind of help at school if this was her genuine approach to 'easy' tests.

Much to my delight the sickness I had been suffering early today had started to slightly reduce its cruel grasp over my sore brain, making it possible for me to work well with the younger student without showing any worrying sign of fatigue.

But I had yet to sing victory, most of the dreadful effects of the Holy energy injection still leaving me a feverish mess as I continued to deal with the explanations to be given to the girl and the corrections if Koneko's completed homework.

She was cutely scowling by the end of the first hour, her eyes narrowing at the piece of paper that I had just finished to correct as if it had killed her Uncle Ben.

Then the silver-haired girl groaned as she was presented with a new sheet with more exercises, her head slowly banging on the table and eliciting a brief smile from me at the adorable sight.

"You know, you shouldn't give up just yet."

She lifted her stare up from the table while keeping her head resting on the furniture as she gave a bored blink back at me, causing me to sigh tiredly at the display of unwillingness to continue.

"You know, you are actually doing better than I did back when I was your age," I hummed with a truthful voice, looking up in remembrance of… something from my former life. "I was quite the terrible thing at Math too, a grave of Fs did take most of my first year at High School after all and…"

Man, it's been a while since I thought about home. I wonder how are the others-

"And?"

I blinked down, noticing the interested tone in the young girl's voice.

Was I getting her attention now? Could it be that… she was suffering of that predicament herself?

"And I just ended up putting myself into it," I finished the sentence with a quiet tone. "I ended up realizing that a helpful hand can take you so far, most of the effort needs to come from within yourself."

"But isn't it still boring?" She sighed, her voice a little whiny but restrained.

Still, it was quite surprising to hear her speak this much genuinely, but I was quick to rule it out as a mere school-related frustration release.

"It is. I don't think I mentioned 'liking the subject'; Mind you, I still hate Math with a passion and I will be the happiest once I end school… away from those evil numbers..."

There was a brief snort which caught my attention almost immediately, Koneko's hand shot up to her mouth, but I could see her cheeks flaring in embarrassment at the agreeing noise.

"As I was saying-" I continued with a small twitchy smile in my face, basking in that sight a little more. "Math is not going to get easy, nor you are ever going to like it. You just need to put yourself on the line and deal with it swiftly and efficiently before getting to deal it in some late stage of the year."

The Nekoshou-in-disguise nodded at this, golden eyes taking in some determined glint while she resumed with her attempts and, much to my glee, I did notice some sudden improvements from her efforts.

There were still some minor errors in the paper as I looked at the mistakes she made along her calculations, but it wasn't as intense as it had been previously

She now gave a positive nod at the reduction of corrections, the development urging her to try more and more with this attemps.

It was after another full hour that I remembered a confusing detail of her current disposition, my eyes soon frowning at the lack of a certain device while she finished another multiplication done in a paper on the side.

"Koneko-san, why are you not using a calculator?" I found myself asking, confused by the fact she was doing calculations by hand.

Koneko paused, blinking twice before nodding.

"Teacher said that for this year calculators weren't to be used during tests." She glanced back at me confused. "Why do you ask, senpai?"

"Well, what your teacher is doing isn't condoned by the rules," I pointed out, my tone once again showing confusion but it was mixed with some annoyance at the fact a sensei might have tried to do this with his class. "Student DO need to have calculators this early in their experience at high school. The exercises are already difficult with those, to think that you did without one..." I finished with a sigh.

Then I nodded to myself.

"I guess I will have to call Sona-san to tell her about the situation."

The silver-haired teen looked surprised at the sudden development, but still managed a grateful nod before blinking in dread at a small situation.

"A-Actually..." She said before sighing nervously. "I don't have a calculator back home, senpai."

Now that was something I could understand for certain reasons.

Since she didn't put much effort in the subject before today, I guess that she didn't mind doing homework without the device.

Still, the girl needed that kind of help and… I slowly walked out of the chair and towards the couch, where my school bag had been resting for a while now.

"Senpai?" Koneko asked in confusion and I nodded as I pulled the small calculator out of my pencil case.

"Tomorrow I will have to skip school so… you can borrow it." I placed it on the table, pushing it towards her. "Once you are done with it, you will just need to give it to Issei and he will pass it to me when he pass around."

She frowned at the mentioning of the pervert. "Why should I even bother talking to him-"

"Because I am asking you to, Koneko-san," I replied with a calm but determined voice. "I know that you are both in the Occult Research Club, so I just hoped you would have the time to do that."

The girl contemplated the dreadful request and ended up sighing tiredly at it.

"Fine… but I will not do anything else with the perverted, correct?"

I nodded and she hummed in agreement, thus returning back to the practice.

The calculator quickly gave a major boost of her effort, time reduced between exercises and allowing her to validate her previous calculations better than before.

Two more hours passed and it was getting time for dinner when Koneko started to yawn tiredly, golden eyes softly sleepy as she rested a little more on the table.

I smiled. "I think you are ready for the exam, Koneko-san."

My words effectively got her attention, eyes widening in surprise at the quiet declaration and her jaw dropped for a moment.

"B-But there were some mistakes."

"Minor ones," I chided softly, causing her eyes to twitch in annoyance at my little stern tone. "You are more than ready to deal with the exam without major issues. Get some rest and-"

"B-But I think that I would enjoy more… time here."

… I hope that this is just about the job.

_I hope this is only about the investigation._

"As I said, Koneko-san, you will have no problems in doing the test. Over-exerting yourself for some nervousness _could_ end up making you too tired to sustain it if you continue to study session." I concluded with a smile.

"So… I should just-" She looked quite skeptical about it, but I wasn't finished yet.

"Go back home, eat something good and healthy for dinner and get some rest. You will deal with the exam with a fresh mind and a healthy body." At the end of my words she did seem to flash a brief pout, but she quickly hid it by nodding at me.

"U-Understood, senpai."

A few moments later, the little kohai was helped to the door where we exchanged some goodbyes before I found myself dealing with the aftermath of this all.

I felt incredibly exhausted and my mind cried for some well-deserved rest after the crap I had to deal today… but I still had to make some calls before going to get some napping done.

Thus, sitting silently in the couch I spent few moments to regain some mental energy and started to call the two individuals I had to call before the end of the day.

"Tsubaki-san? I hope I'm not disturbing but..."

* * *

"So… we got a situation."

With those few words, Azazel started the emergency session with most of the leaders at Grigori sitting by the large table of the meeting room.

From Shemhazai to Tamiel, the only one absent to this special sitting was Kokabiel.

Not a major surprise for everyone within the reunion, the man having long displayed the disinterest in partaking in those kind of meetings after the current leader had started to take a softer approach regarding the dealings with the other factions.

"What did you do?" Shemhazai and Baraqiel asked almost in unison.

The two shared an understanding glance before returning to stare at the frowning Azazel.

"I didn't do anything… this time," The Governor-General admitted with asigh, the last words with a little bit of embarrassment. "But the situation is still a grave one."

"I hope this is indeed something important, Azazel-kun." Penemue stated, the General Secretary then giving him a teasing smile. "I still have to give you today's paperwork and- _oh my, _this time its twice than yesterday~."

"Cruel woman," The man started with some fake tears falling off at the mentioning of the greatest threat of them all. "But yes, we have an issue involving our elusive Kokabiel-san."

"The war-hawk?" Shemhazai asked curiously. "I thought he was already monitored after the recent situation-"

"But it seems it isn't enough!" Azazel interjected with an exasperated sigh. "He did some more naughty things and..."

The large screen in the room turned on, several documents and bank details of large transfers highlighted.

"We are risking another war."

…

"What?" Baraqiel slammed his closed fists on the desk, creating some minor cracks on it as he stared confused and angered. "Why didn't you inform us of this before?"

"Because I got this information quite recently and… because I had to confirm some situations within your cadres." The leader explained swiftly, a tired smile on his face as he slouched on his chair. "You know that there are some rebellious elements in your departments, right?"

There was a full minute of silence at that question, some dreadfully nodding while others looking as confused if not more than Baraqiel.

"You mean that Kokabiel could… spark a civil war in Grigori?" Armaros asked cautiously, looking around the table and finding some nods of agreement at his legitimate query.

"He could but… I think he will not do it now," Azazel replied with a careful voice. "At least not until he is sure to have the power to win the eventual struggle."

The man then stood up, his eyes continuing to glance at the documents visible from the screen.

"I think he is trying to poke hard at the Church and at the Devil's faction to spark the second conflict."

"And you are sure of this… because?" Tamiel inquired while frowning at the precise theory, confused over the accurate thinking.

Yet Azazel did smile and gave him a nod.

"Because he has been buying the loyalty of some stray exorcists sited in Rome," He answered with an irritated voice. "I think he is aiming to stole something from them or maybe even go as far to kill some important figure."

"He isn't suicidal to go after the Pope." Shemhazai considered carefully and quickly.

"But he would give a try to kill a Cardinal and get some attention shifted in Japan," The leader interrupted with a serious look.

"Why Japan of all places?" Tamiel mused over, glancing at the sighing man.

"Because that is the place alluded by my little source, he did mention that a group of Fallen Angels went rogue after some simple orders of studying a subject in Kuoh Town."

Baraqiel shifted nervously, knowing that his daughter lived there.

"K-Kuoh Town? What were they doing here?"

"The Red Dragon Emperor," Azazel revealed with some little hesitation, having kept the news limited to just a few of the members in that room. "I found him almost a decade ago in that part of Japan and I just wanted to make sure to get him to join to Grigori once he was old enough to train."

"What did the group do then? Did they kill him perhaps?" Penemue suggested but, seeing Azazel nodding at her, she let her eyes widened in shock. "What!? You mean to tell me some recruits of Grigori went that far to go against an order from you? Who are this idiots?!"

"Raynare, Mittelt, Kawalarner and Dohnaseek."

The answer got some head-shaking from most of the group.

"You sent some rebellious fools and you expected them to not get cocky about their roles? What did you smoke, Azazel?" Sahariel finally stated, annoyed by how things were turning out to be grim this suddenly.

"I tried to have them re-assigned somewhere else but…" He took a brief pause, then sighed again. "I got news that someone of high importance decided to have them still sent there."

"Kokabiel?" Baraqiel suggested and was met with a nod. "Damn it!"

Some furious whispers were exchanged through the table and the leader of Grigori let this happen for a while, trying to get everyone to release some steam before continuing.

Much to his displeasure, his close friend and Vice decided to ask a very important but uneasy question to answer.

"Still, you mentioned a source gave you all this material, how do we know that this isn't just a trap from Kokabiel so he could gain some advantage?"

Azazel looked partly hesitant as he considered his next words and… that was weird for everyone present to the meeting.

Their leader, as much as sheepish he might sound once in a while, would never look this much clueless about something in any particular situation.

"I… might have got news that one of the members of Raynare's camp had been killed; Dohnaseek was found dead in Kuoh's park, the wounds that were found on him were caused from a Light Spear _created by him._"

"You mean he impaled himself?" Tamariel asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"No, the angles which the holes were found suggested that someone took his weapon and used it to kill him." Azazel answered without hesitation. "And the possibility that this was committed by a fellow Fallen Angel is disproved by something else our investigator found in that place."

"And that is? Don't keep us in the dark, Azazel." Baraqiel pressed on, now intrigued by the situation considering whom lived in that city.

The leader blinked and then _smiled_ once more.

"**Silver Lining**. Several seals to be exact were found and were supposedly used to keep the man's body stuck as he was killed by his aggressor."

"Isn't that basic magic… that even humans can use?" Penemue muttered curious about this whole development. "Do you think it was a human that caused it and then sent you this info?"

"It wouldn't be a Devil because our Fake Holy energy would hurt them and I think from the message this whole documentation had reached me with was written by someone young, I would dare to say a student sent me this." The man nodded at his own suggestion. "The lack of details and the informality of his wording make it clear that he is inexperienced over the matter, but resourceful enough to make use of modern devices."

Baraqiel sighed. "So you think there is a young Magician at Kuoh Academy?"

"That is correct idea, my dear friend!" Azazel clapped his hands once to praise the intervention. "But I think I will get some more proof once I will be there to personally oversee the scene and the area to find my elusive contact."

Shemhazai's face darkened at the last bit of his proclamation.

"Azazel, you are not leaving me to deal with the paperwork-"

"Sowwy, Shemmy, but I've already taken a ticket for a flight to Japan for tomorrow," The man-child hummed without restraint. "I'm sorry I didn't give much of a notice to deal with, but this is an… _emergency_."

"You will not leave me to-"

But the outburst was interrupted by quite the sudden action.

"_**Too late~!**_"

In that very instant the windows on the side of the building broke as a laughing Azazel deployed his wings and flied out of the building, leaving behind some surprised subordinates behind.

An incensed Vice-Director tried and failed to give chase as a giggly Penemue latched at him, the notes about the amount of paperwork he would have to deal today and tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a chuckling Baraqiel stared at this familiar scene from afar, keeping himself away from the dreadful fate of his good friend.

This very situation proved how refusing the offer of becoming the Vice to the organization years ago had been a wise one, already knowing well enough how Azazel would have made him suffer through his career by dropping on his already imposing stack of paperwork his own tower of suffering.

And yet, as he contemplated over the behavior of his old friend, the man couldn't but consider the nervousness the man had while talking about the Red Dragon Emperor and… the situation at Kuoh.

It's been so long since he had seen his baby girl and maybe it would have done Shuri happy if he had finally gone and see how she was faring as the Queen of Rias Gremory, after so many years of avoiding meeting up with her.

It didn't help that his paternal instincts were acting up at the knowledge that Kokabiel was planning something terrible right in the city where his baby girl was trying to enjoy a normal life as a student at high school.

_**Part of him also wondered if their daughter got other than her Mama's appearance also her 'interesting' personality bits. How nostalgic, how intriguing!**_

* * *

**AN**

**The Plot is moving, Koneko is not going to open up suddenly and unrealistically this chapter (we are too early for that) and Asia-chan is going to appear next chapter. I have plans to screw with the plot just a little for the sake of coherence as the encounter with Azazel will coincide with another major event.**

**I know that it might seem like I am trying to pull something weird there with the canon plot, but I have plans of having our MC do some extra work away from the original story. Important work too.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Tom24800****: I mean, I consider energy absorption kind of like a blood transfusion. If it isn't done carefully it could end up killing the one getting the procedure and I wanted to limit his Opness this early on. Spoiler Alert! He will get OP.**

**Guestic****: Yes and also no. I am going to make sure to reference multiple characters with the various additions to the arsenal. While Silver Linings is currently referencing to Walter Dornez, there is also another character that inspired this particular spell and it will become evident once this spell get upgraded.**


	4. Sweet Meeting and Cold Refusal

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 4****: Sweet Meeting and Cold Refusal**

* * *

I was regretting my little experiment.

Waking up with a migraine and with my body suffering with something close to a hangover situation, I was pretty much feeling like crap when I started to eat some cookies for breakfast.

My stomach felt churning in disgust, rejecting even the small baked goods and almost sending me to the bathroom for the aches I was experiencing.

Said effects were difficult to hide and father picked quickly that something was wrong with me.

Cue the several questions coming from the renowned doctor of Kuoh, the man pestering me for a good hour before nodding at the sufficient level of knowledge I had over the matter: I was sick because of an infection happening in a cut in my hands, I had it already bandaged and I've already taken in the medicines to deal with the resulting symptoms of the infection.

There was some confusion regarding the extent of the effects of the medical pills to counter the infection, seeing that I looked way more ill than I should be when he first noticed me, but I managed to shrug it off by saying it was just a minor allergic reaction and that I would be fine.

Maybe it was the pressure of possibly turning late for work if he continued with the interrogation what truly made him back down from that subject, but the man easily accepted the excuse and waved me a goodbye as he and mother went for the car, directed at their respective jobs.

Once the vehicle was out of sight, I let out a sigh of relief and went back to my room.

Opening the wardrobe I picked some good clothes and started to change with those, folding my Pjs at the end of the bed.

While I should seriously take some rest from this long process of energetic integration, I had to move quickly to make sure to alter a crucial bit of the timeline.

Asia was supposed to be coming in Kuoh today and… I should also catch up with Issei.

The intrusions of yesterday taught me that planned encounters were going to be monitored and if I wanted to have a chance to finally explain some of the new things to the owner of the Welsh Dragon Sacred Gear, I needed to intercept him while he went to school.

Before doing so I also needed to go and buy some groceries as the fridge was starting to get quite empty.

Thus I first ventured to the local super-market to buy some ice cream, some fruits and other veggies.

There wasn't a shortage of meat-related food back home, thus I just went to get the products that were actually missing.

I did concede myself some ice cream to deal with the painful effects of the integration, hoping that suddenly ingesting a cold treat wasn't going to slow down the biological process.

Once I got everything paid, I walked out of the store and started to think where Issei could be around this time.

It was fairly early in the morning, but I didn't doubt the younger student would be already out to walk to school, his house quite distant from the place.

It was odd to think that, as perverted the boy was, the youth didn't make any other issues with the school's rules.

Very respectful of the classes' times, good grades and praised numerous times by his curious interest in Japanese History.

Odd for someone with a bad reputation with the entire student population.

It was in that moment I did remember a minor detail I was almost forgetting about.

In Canon, Issei meets Asia near the local park and, wasting no more time in my thoughts I proceeded to take the proper path to the next section of the town I had to visit.

It took me few minutes and, much to my awe, I was bestowed with a familiar sight from the show.

Being that I was looking at someone with 'real life glasses', Asia Argento was breath-taking.

Her golden locks were well-cared considering that she lived a humble life, her hair was clean and pristine while her suave face was something I had trouble to not look at.

It was just like the first time I saw Akeno and Rias, the beauties of this series so incredibly impressive to look early on and yet… there was just something incredibly 'more' about the little nun.

Asia was surely going to give some harsh competition to the girls even without trying, of that I was sure of.

As I finished looking at the nun, the young girl fixing her clothes after her clumsy fall, I slowly turned to the little problem of this scene.

Issei was _slowly_ helping in putting back the various piece of clothes that had fallen out of the suitcase of the foreign female, stopping more than once to stare at… intimate objects within the case.

I narrowed my eyes and starting to pace towards the unsuspecting kohai of mine, stopping moments before crashing onto him as I waited for him to notice my presence.

Being that I was covering the sunlight that helped the boy look better at the panties he was currently holding, Issei slowly turned to see who was causing the shadows coming from behind and…

He blinked once.

Then twice.

Finally he paled, eyes widened and his jaws dropped.

"S-Senpai! W-What are you doing here?"

"Doing some groceries and thought of try to find you now to speak about that important things… to think you would do that to a poor nun of all people."

He looked back at the panties and dropped them back inside the container, swiftly doing the same with the other clothes before staring back at me with a nervous look.

"S-See, just a minor mistake." He chuckled sheepishly, expecting some retribution at being caught in a perverted act but… I decided to grace him and merely sigh.

"Just… don't do that ever again." I blinked as I slowly turned back to the blonde. "By the way, who is the- Uh?"

As I spun around to face the nun, I found myself facing Asia, blue eyes looking concerned at my gloved hands as her very soft ones started to caress it. "Did you get hurt?"

I blinked. "I may have, yes. Why do you-"

It was kind of sudden but then a soft green light coated my entire arm and… I started to felt vigor returning to my entire body.

Gone was the fatigue and the tiredness, gone was the aching from my belly and the back pains that had tortured me for a full day now.

My eyes were wide open as I let the girl finish her treatment and blinked once the light stopped covering the limb.

I had merely thought about the possible sensation 'Twilight Healing' could have given to the patient being cured and… to think that it would so…

"_Meraviglioso..._" **Wonderful…**

The girl gasped for a moment, my mind catching up quickly that I did speak in my native language for a moment and had to hold back a flinch at the recognition in her eyes.

"_Siete un Italiano anche voi?_" **Could you be that you are an Italian too?**

I almost gave out my entire cover, what the hell is wrong with me? Why did those cute girls have this effect on me of all people?!

"Parlo poco la lingua, imparato da cliente di Padre." **I can barely speak it, I learned from client of dad.**

"Oh?" She deflated a little but then seemed to regain some happiness at the fact someone could partly understand her. "T-Then could you help me find the local church, good sir?"

I blinked at the was she was addressing me and I faked a frown at her mentioning the 'local' church.

"You mean the one that is not used, young miss?" I smiled at the pale blush at the way I returned the addressing, but then sighed. "I am sorry to say that it is not a safe place to go. The police did issue a warning to not visit it."

Her eyes widened in surprise at this revelation. "W-What? I-I thought that-"

"There had been some unpleasant people there and… some found a dead man in the park quite recently."

She gasped at the following news and Issei frowned at the mentioning of Dohnaseek at the girl but I nodded to him as I hummed in thought.

"Young miss, would you like to accept my gratitude for your kind gesture by inviting you to the local ice cream parlor? I think they just finished to refurbish the store and-"

"M-My name is Asia, Asia Argento. A-And the offer is truly kind but I healed you without a need of a reward or-" In that moment a soft growl reached for my ears, Issei blinking in surprise too as he heard it too.

The girl's blush worsened and she looked away as her treacherous belly ruined her selfless moment.

"I think you would do well with some breakfast, _signorina_."

She smiled at being called 'young lady' and sighed. "F-Fine, but it is only because you are insisting..."

I chuckled and Issei was the one taking the suitcase, his strength partly augmented so he barely felt the weight in his hands.

A few moments later, Asia took a spoonful of her cup of 'Fior-di-Latte' ice cream, enjoying the delicious flavor as Issei took a chocolate cone and I picked a cup of watermelon flavor. I just enjoyed the chocolate bits.

"S-Senpai, y-you kind of promised some explanations-"

"And I am ready to give some answers. But let's start with something you wish to know more about."

He appreciated the offer of having some of his important questions solved and nodded.

"W-Why is Asia-chan here for this?" He turned at the confused girl and tried to wave in an appeasing way. "I- I mean, this discussion should be kind of private and-"

"That is because I wish to discuss about Asia-san's current living quarters from now on." I glanced at the blonde. "Asia, do you understand that the local Church is a stronghold of Fallen Angels, right?"

She looked surprised at my knowledge of the race but nodded with a sad look, causing Issei to narrow my eyes in my direction. "I… I do."

"I want to say that I don't find the fact you healed a Devil to be a reason to warrant the punishment you suffered, signorina," I stated with some genuine interest. "Quite the opposite, I found it a commendable act."

The nun perked, eyes sparkling at the mentioning of the event that costed her the place within the community of God, but I think the kind comment was what got her mostly happy.

"I… I don't know what to say and… actually, why is Issei-san needing your assistance, Mr-"

I softly facepalmed and groaned at forgetting that important thing. "I kind of… forgot to introduce myself, didn't I?" Smiling, I gave a quick bow with my head. "I am Hoitsu Sakakibara and I am Issei's senpai at school."

She tilted her head by the side. "S-Senpai?"

There wasn't a clear translation of that specific term in Italian, so I had to explain it to her.

"I am his senior at school and thus there is a relationship of support for him to growth and get a grip over his study."

The boy blushed as I patted his shoulder. "I- I am not that bad-"

"You are if you have to be taken to the teachers with your 'naughty' behavior." His blush worsened, the fact that he was a pervert still eluding the confused nun.

"Anyway, I was saying that the church was under Fallen Angels' control and- those are not the good kind of people within Grigori, Asia-san."

"B-But I thought that they were there by A-Azazel-san's order?"

I nodded partially at her outdated knowledge.

"This was the case at first, then their leader decided to rebel against him and try to steal the Sacred Gears she could get." Then I pointed at the boy. "Issei here has a Sacred Gear and was attacked a few days ago by the leader of the group here, left to die as his 'gift' was mistaken for something weak."

Issei flinched at the telling of his near-death experience and was taken by surprise as Asia quickly looked at him with a genuine worried look. "R-Really, Issei-san?"

"I-I almost died, yeah but-"

"I think I should explain that myself, Issei," I interrupted him, the boy frowning at the intrusion in that intimate closeness of theirs. "As the topic is fairly complex and it has to be… well-detailed."

The nun frowned. "W-What do you mean? Y-You think I could mistake something?"

"Kind of, yes. You see Kuoh Town is currently the fief of the heiresses of two Devil Clans, the Gremory and the Sitri-"

"Y-You mean that Issei-san-?" Asia interjected as realization materialized in her features.

"Was turned in a Devil, yes. Previously a human, this young man has been recently thrown inside the big tug war."

Her innocent stare returned to the brunet and she frowned. "Y-You think that I would doubt the g-genuine helpfulness of Issei-san, Hoitsu-senpai?"

I blinked at the honorific and the stubborn tone behind her voice.

"I mean, without some context some people would be careful around a Devil. No, I wasn't thinking you of that… I mean, you did heal a Devil before."

She blushed at the remark and nodded, accepting the quick explanation given. This time it was Issei that spoke.

"Senpai, you also mentioned that I had this 'Sacred Gear'. Buchou explained to me what it generally was but… she didn't know which one I had."

"The knowledge of one Sacred Gear's identity is given by the power it can deploy. I would be lying in saying I knew certainly the true identity of yours, but I did found your energy pattern… unique," I carefully explained, trying to bring some logical reasoning behind my discovery instead of blowing my SI cover. "Rather similar to how a dragonic one should feel like and, since you are hardly someone driven by logic but by heart and emotion, I would say you have the Red Welsh Dragon."

…

"W-What?"

I sighed as I knew I had to go fairly deep in the lore for this. "The Red Dragon Emperor is part of the 13 Longinus, the Boosted Gear is how it's known commonly," I continued to tell, careful to not rush too many things at once. "Differently from Asia's Twilight Healing, this is a very powerful Sacred Gear and it is considered to be one of the few ones that could manage to kill the Satans if its full potential is unlocked."

"B-But how does it work?" The brunet asked, a little awed by the description. "I can form the gauntlet but-"

"You ended up with a very lazy Dragon within yourself, Ise." My comment surprised both teens and I smiled smugly as I continued. "You see, Ddraig is not as helpful as Albion is, he sleep all-day and has the least victory against his rival. I wonder why he is considered a Heavenly Dragon if he is that dumb."

Issei blinked, eyes widening the more the words left my mouth and he let out a nervous chuckle as his gauntlet formed right as I finished this little session of roasting.

Asia blinked in surprise at the appearance of the dragonic arm on her new friend, but I think she was mostly taken by what I was trying to do here.

I was glad that there weren't many people there and that the workers were all sitting inside and chatting away while waiting for some other clients, thus unable to see what was going on here.

"U-Uh, senpai, I think you should-" But the teen's plea fell deaf as I continued.

"And let us not forget about the time he and Tiamat went-"

"**Okay! That is enough, Magician!**"

The sudden outburst coming from the Boosted Gear ended up making me crack a smile at the familiar voice. "And here is the sleeping drake-"

"**Desist from that remarking, I know what you are trying to do here by trying to get a raise on me.**"

I raised a brow at that. "Truly? Then pray tell, _what do I want from you_?"

"**Support, help and… power-**"

"Wrong, wrong and also wrong." I sighed tiredly. "I want a very simple thing from you, Ddraig, and… that is something that has to do with Issei."

The brunet blinked in surprise, pointing at himself with his normal arm. "M-Me?"

"**Oh? Do you wish to have him as your minion or-**"

"Can you stop with throwing senseless accusations?!" I interrupted with a groan. "It's starting to get quite annoying and what I meant is…" I sighed. "I need you to train him."

"**Train this weak host?**" Issei let out a soft 'Hey' but the dragon ignored him. "**While he does have an… **_**interesting**_** group of people around, I fail to see the potential he might have.**"

"I consider him your best bet against the current owner of Albion," I shot back with a huf. "The host is a powerful Devil which… I would like to see kicked around here and there."

"**Some revenge? Did he slight you?**"

"Just angry at how he could ruin things around if not stopped early on."

"**Some preventive strike? You wish to make use of my rivalry?!**" He seemed angry but at this point I could recognize the bluff from his heated tone.

"Would you truly mind that? You would still get some victories against Albion."

"**T-That is true but- ARGH! You are one of the most infuriating humans I had to deal in my entire existence!**"

Okay, I think that was kind of flattering knowing the lengthy presence of Ddraig in this universe.

Sadly, the smug victory was dampened by his following words.

"**Differently from the fair and gorgeous babe sitting near us.**"

Asia blushed a storm at that unexpected barrage of compliments compressed in that sentence and Issei poked at the Gear.

"Excuse you?! What are you saying to Asia-chan?"

"**Being a blunt and honest male with good ideas for her beauty- Gah, stop poking now!**"

Despite the protests, the boy continued to poke even harder than before.

Meanwhile, the blonde had a hand pressed on her lips as she tried and failed to contain her mirthful giggles at the comic scene.

A few moments later, after the bickering of the boy and the dragon was finished, Issei did remember that he _had to go to school_.

So bidding goodbye after some guarantees and assurances that I would take Asia to a safe place (which was his house and I forgot to tell him about that), the girl and I started to walk towards the Hyoudou's residence.

Every corner I would glance first before going with the nun in tow, knowing full well that Raynare might as well have decided to wander around to find Asia to avoid any other hindrances to her plan.

It was weird for someone as cautious as her to attack in broad daylight but-

I heard a gasp and then I was pushed forward, almost falling on the ground and I turned around at the sound of something making a loud noise.

**Thud**

My eyes widening at the sudden noise, I was greeted with Asia fallen on the road and a pool of blood forming underneath her clothes. The liquid was coming from the gaping wound in her lower chest and the cause of the injury was the vanishing dark-pink light spear piercing her.

_**I-I almost died!**_

"Shit! She had to jump and take the hit, that idiotic nun-" Raynare was flying right above us, she sighed as she turned her attention at me. "That means I will have to take care of you so we can go ahead with the process. _To think that I have to risk this much..._"

Several other light spears formed above me and, feeling the shock starting to get replaced by seething anger, I decided to try out if Twilight Healing did bolster the integration process to completion.

I remembered the composition of the spell and the pure emotional grade required to fully form the spears and soon I was graced with several dark-gray blades of light.

The Fallen Angel blinked in surprise before snarling, her six dark-pink spears launched towards me. Responding to the threat, my own Light Spears propelled to intercept her own and minor blast of lights echoes across the street.

There was surprise and fury within the woman's eyes but I wasn't going to back down now.

Asia required help and I had to kill this bitch as quickly as possible.

_**Why can't things just go my way even this early on the story?!**_

* * *

**AN**

**Cliffhanger, Raynare just attacked! And she has mortally damaged Asia-chan!**

**The battle will be epic and… divided in two sections and times.**

**While our MC **_**could**_** technically work around the odds with some ingenuity and good-thinking, doing so would prolong the fight and further reduce the chances of saving the nun.**

**Can he works in this situation to win and saw our lovable young, Italian nun?**

**Quick explanation about the Light Spears and other Magical Constructs:**** While a Magical Construct is connected to its creator and could be dispelled in normal circumstances, the connection between creator and construct can be severed or altered by external magic. This was the case with Dohnaseek's spear being used against him and, before anyone ask how someone with 'Earthly' magic is capable of sustain the spear, the answer lies in what the drain entails. The spear drains energy, Earthly energy could work as an alternative for the toll but it would require much more because of its lesser quality compared to Holy energy.**

**Also about Twilight Healing:**** I know, I am going a little over the usual AN's length but I wish to avoid any issues with what I am pulling there. This Sacred Gear can only cure injuries and wounds, but cannot cure sickness and fatigue… and yet it worked on the MC? The solution is that those two are not independent things but are caused by the process, **_**an injury to one Magic Core**_** that allows the implementation of a secondary magical energy within the body. With the process concluded swiftly, the two bad factors are removed from affecting the MC.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**RedBurningDragon****: Yes.**

**NazgulBelserion****: There are plans to change Ise a little. His harem will receive a minor dynamic change but mostly everyone will be there (Keyword being 'mostly').**

**Bearticguy7****: He will become something unique and powerful, close to something already existing but it ain't a Dragon.**


	5. Showdown and Lecture

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 5****: Showdown and Lecture**

* * *

Raynare wasn't someone I had planned to face this very early in the story.

I did make some plans to let the plot unfold a little more, to maybe tag in for the eventuality that Issei would have ended up being lured by the Fallen Angel to the Church, thus giving me the chance of having some support during the fight.

But now it wasn't time to deal with scenarios that aren't going to happen now that the woman was attacking in broad daylight.

Just like in the show, Raynare was donning the incredibly skimpy and revealing set of 'clothes' that were there to distract any male opponents she was facing.

I admit it would have worked in a normal situation as I did look quite provocative and endearing at the sight, but much to her chagrin, I was kind of pissed and extremely concerned about the safety of Asia.

As the battle progressed, a simple exchange of Light Spears from one side to another, I noticed a feeble green light coming from the bleeding nun.

The mortal attack having somehow left her still conscious enough for her to start some healing, which was quite good as it offered a little more time to deal with the Fallen Angel.

Yet as this all unfolded, I decided to cover my bases and plant some Silver Lining seals on the ground in front of me. Knowing whom I was dealing with, her impulsiveness during a brawl, it was now a matter of moments before she-

The dark-haired beauty snarled as she finally decided to interrupt the stalemate of lights and try to go for a direct assault.

I saw her wings flap sharply as Raynare dived for a quick action, urging me to take some step backs and hold back my grin from spoiling the surprise.

She prepared two Spears in her hands, ready to engage in close combat, seemingly unaware that this was all a silent trap.

The moment she had her first weapon raised and ready to land a hit on me, the seal sprung into action as three strong ropes of light sparked in action and restrained the woman for a short amount of time.

I wasn't dealing with Dohnaseek, this Fallen Angel giving some good reasons for me to act promptly and decisively right in that moment of relief.

Two dull-gray Light Spears formed right behind the distracted woman and rushed quickly towards her wings.

Snapping away from the limitations, Raynare turned around quickly and shattered one of the incoming blades, but failing to move quickly enough to avoid the remaining one.

Tore from its original spot, the black-feathered wing went flying away from the Fallen Angel, blood spurting from the injury I had caused.

She yelped, shivering at the sudden pain sharply hitting her brain and alarming her of the damage she suffered.

Her eyes were showing anger, dread and utter fear, the knowledge of having lost something important to her as a wing, something Angels in general prided themselves to have, had to be a demoralizing hit and we both knew that Twilight Healing couldn't restore lost limbs, such as the lost wing.

"Y-You!" She backed away a few more meters, keeping sight on me as I continued to keep on guard for any other attacks. "Why are you helping this nun? Why would you-"

"Asia-san is a friend of mine, Raynare-_san,_" I sneered at her surprised look. "This is the second individual I am close to that you've caused pain to and I will not forgive you for those situations!"

She flinched the moment I took a step towards her. "S-Stop! I- We don't need to fight- I can offer you what you wish for- power, m-money a-and even a g-girlfriend-"

"Don't tell me. Yuuma-san?"

There was an uneasy silence, the woman's face paling even more at the mentioning of that name. "Y-You are f-friend with that-"

"Ise is my kohai, you bitch, and you tried to kill him, same for Asia-chan. I am going to end you!"

She twitched, almost breaking from the sudden tensing up caused by her fear for her life, her lone wing managing to snap her away from the ground and fluctuate barely off the floor.

I stared at her, red eyes wide open as Raynare spun around and quickly fled the area, her open wound still letting out blood once or twice in a while.

I waited a few more moments before turning my attention back to the blonde, Asia slowly trying to sit up while still trembling.

I rushed to her side and helped her up, quickly taking into account the fact that her wound had closed up but her skin had paled considerable.

Twilight Healing didn't restore any of the blood lost.

"I-I am sorry," She muttered quickly, much to my dismay and annoyance. I generally disliked those people that apologized with no apparent reason, it just brought up some unpleasant memories of good characters killed for no reasons.

"It wasn't your fault, Asia-chan. You were just unlucky and now I will take you to a safe place."

She blinked curiously. "Really? How safe?"

"Issei's parents kind of safe," I replied almost instantly, slowly pulling her up even more and carry her bridal style, her suitcase and my groceries bag quickly attached onto my back with some Silver Linings.

She blushed a little but she was still quite stunned by what had just transpired.

"Oh? A-Are they nice people?"

I nodded at her question, starting to pump some energy in my legs and quickly blitzed through the streets, my mind fixed on the place I had to reach quickly.

The blonde giggled at the sudden rush of speed, quite adorably too.

"So _fast_." She giggled again and snuggled closer to my chest.

Asia wasn't mortally wounded but she still needed some rest and nourishment to help with her recovery.

Thus as I reached for the entrance door of the household I didn't skip a beat in quickly ringing the door-bell and wait for someone to arrive and open the door.

Miki Hyoudou, Issei's mother and respectable housewife of this house, looked initially pleased to see me, but also gasped at seeing the barely conscious girl in my arms.

"Mrs. Hyoudou, I need some help with her. We were mugged." Her eyes widened at the hasty explanation and she did noticed some blood on the girl's chest.

"C-Come in! I-I think I have some first aid kits a-and I can call some ambulance."

"It isn't necessary for further help, Ma'am. The wound isn't as deep as it seems, but it's the first time she let out this much blood."

There was an erratic nod as the woman rushed to get the proper medications to assist the situation and I slowly placed the girl in the long couch in the living room. Asia shifted in her sleep at the sudden lack of warmth but seemed to accept the comforting pillow offered to her head as an acceptable sufficient as a small appreciative smile appeared in her face.

"I got some bandages, some pain-killers and-" The married woman paused a moment to stare at the angelic face of the blonde and frowned. "Such a sweet girl, attacked in broad daylight of all times possible..."

Then she turned to face me. "But could I ask what are you doing here and not in Kuoh Academy, young man?"

I sighed. "I am currently recovering from a momentary period of sickness, and I just started to get a little better now?"

The suspicious expression softened in an understanding one. "I… see." At this point the woman had begun removing some of the clothes covering the upper body of the girl, gesturing me to look away as she continued with the process of bandaging the area.

"You were… correct. The wound is so difficult to spot but… so much blood?" She blinked with some confusion as she glanced over the injured area.

"I think it's something of a genetic thing, but I don't know for sure about," I lied an explanation, the woman still accepting it as she was quite focused over the wound.

Few moments of silence passed and while Asia continued to rest quietly in the couch, fresh bandages and medical ointments applied on the sore area, Issei's mother decided to ask few more questions.

"Did you see the face of the aggressor, Hoitsu-kun?"

"Just barely, ma'am," I stated in a truthful note as I _did_ see Raynare commit the act. "But I've already called the police and told them about what happened."

"Good… but how did you phone with Asia-chan in your arms, young man?" I blinked and realized I did have my hands busy at the time and I let out a faux sheepish look.

"I-If I have to be honest, I think it was mostly adrenaline. Sometimes in a moment of panic I do end up doing some strange actions that should be quite impossible, hehe..."

"Like bringing the girl's suitcase and your grocery bag on your back," Mrs. Hyoudou added dryly, a curious look in her face.

"I do some training on my free time," I motivated quickly, feeling rather nervous at the interrogation. "F-_Dad_ says that a good mind requires also a good body."

She blinked in surprise. "Truly and… you have never gone against this decision by… doing other things you that you might like."

...Where was she going with this?

"I do spend some time doing what I like-"

"And that is?" She pressed on and for a moment I saw her appearance flicker to another individual, one that was looking much sterner and pressing about the situation. I felt myself growing smaller and sighed.

"...Reading books."

She huffed. "To think that I would have to deal with someone the opposite of my baby boy," She sighed and… suddenly pinched my cheeks.

I almost jumped at the situation but her hold was surprisingly strong enough to keep me stuck on my seat.

"You are supposed to go out, have a social life and get yourself a girlfriend. How are you supposed to give your parents some grandchildren!?"

I groaned at the sudden barrage of responsibilities. I swear to the Gods that sounded like the nagging I had back home, I could almost hear mom's voice overlapping with Miki's voice.

"I am _fine_-"

"You say that, but you seem still shaky about what happened now. I am half-tempted to keep you here for a while, just to see if you need some rest or anything..."

I drew a long, waiting sigh within my head as I did have to rush and intercept Raynare now that she was weak.

If I didn't press the advantage now, I would end up getting a more active and careful force of rogue Fallen Angels to deal with.

"-But I know that you wouldn't like that. And I am not your mother so… the only thing I can say is be careful in your way back home."

I felt the need to flinch at those words.

Way close to home and… this stress shouldn't be adding up all today.

I merely nodded but, as I went to pick my grocery bag, I paused a moment as I remembered something else I had to do.

"Actually, Mrs. Hyoudou, there is something of a favor I would like to request." I started, garnering the woman's full attention. "It's about Asia."

* * *

It was around lunch time that I got by the only Church in town.

I was partly surprised at how Issei's mother took the situation regarding the excommunicated nun, giving her sad looks as I explained more about the backstory before I ended up giving the real question about the blonde.

"_Could you take her in? She doesn't… have anyone to live with_."

I remember Rias being the one pushing this idea to the brunet's parents, but in Canon that case was dictated by Asia's status as the redhead's new Bishop.

Without the girl becoming a Devil, it meant that the heiress of the Gremory family had little interest to push the girl's safety onto the two adults.

So when I did ask the question, having little on Rias about persuasion, I was saved by the fact the woman was already considering keeping her around until she recovered.

She was still unsure about her being sheltered there, since she motivated the fact she had to discuss it with her husband.

I accepted the compromise and she agreed to contact me once Asia was awake and stable.

Returning back to the current present, I slowly entered the formerly holy building while holding tightly a Light Spear in my hands.

The structure looked quite abandoned, the silence and the lack of liveliness that came from a usually well-kept church was missing from the place.

My steps were soft as I wanted to keep my presence concealed as I slowly ventured inside this dangerous area of the city.

My eyes were silently looking everywhere, my mind urging me to consider any possible hideout for an ambush on me.

I was going in the lion's den and I didn't know how 'big' it truly was.

I remember from Canon that there was a group of stray exorcists already there, led by foul-mouthed Freed Sellzen of all people, and that there were two other Fallen Angels to count around Raynare.

My objective wasn't to truly decimate the force, my current fighting capability limiting me to only a big target at the time, but to make sure that the 'head' of this revolt and the connection of Kokabiel with the group of Grigori there was cut quickly.

I had a simple plan, a very quick and easy one, but nothing had prepared me to the sight I found myself staring at few moments later as I looked at the last doors that led to the large room of the Church.

Disguised corpses, butchered and bleeding out were all massing up near the entrance.

None was moving, they were all dead… including the permanently scowling Freed lying on the group right in front of the two main doors.

The leading figure of the exorcists had let go of his initial equipment, the 'Exorcist Gun' which seemed to have been broken by a powerful grip and… the 'light-saber'.

I know, it's called 'Light Sword' but seriously, why wouldn't I just call it what it truly was.

I picked it off the ground and stared at it. It looked like it was still in working conditions and I activated it.

My eyes blinking in awe and glee, I immediately turned it off as I started to search for something in particular.

While it looked like some incredibly awesome, I was fairly sure that it wasn't something infinite like the Star Wars' version of it and that it required something like a battery to work.

Lo and behold, my little scavenging act was rewarded with seven transparent small crystals that seemed to fit in the lower section of its metallic hilt.

Putting the new weapon in my pocket, I had now a better chance of fending off anyone on my way as I could switch to use the sword without needing to empty my entire magical reserves and… possibly get killed because of it.

I pushed a little the wooden barrier that led to the greater room of the building and… peeked inside.

The acoustics were sublime and the sight offered by the sufficient illumination was good enough to understand what was going on inside of it.

My eyes widened a little as I saw instantly that the two other Fallen Angels that served under Raynare, Kalawarner and Mittelt, were kneeling as they silently looked towards the other two figures in the room.

Raynare was kneeling too, but she was crying profusely as she begged the man that was currently giving me his back.

I frowned at his frame, feeling like I should have recognized him by now and… yet I couldn't pinpoint much from the little details I could see.

The distance just wasn't helping me.

I sighed quietly as I couldn't exactly hear what he was saying to the scared Raynare and thus, deciding to poke fun at fate itself, I slowly and stealthily crouch-walked towards a broken column near the entrance of the room.

As I finished this little relocation, I returned to glance back at the scene and… I noticed something was different.

The trio of Fallen Angels was now looking incredibly confused, alarmed even as the man that was once there and speaking to their leader was now… gone?

I blinked once, then twice and… I finally noticed something odd about my current placement.

I could distinctly remember this place having enough light to give a clear sight over everywhere and… yet where I was standing I felt like it everything looked quite… darkened.

_Like a shadow was looming right from behind me…_

My head turned slowly around and I was greeted with a smiling face that was of a very important character of the show.

Azazel winked and waved cheekily and I almost jumped at the sudden appearance of this powerful being this close to where I was.

A yelp of mine caught the attention of the other occupants of the large room and my cover was literally blown apart by the presence of the leader of Grigori.

I poked fate and fate poked back by kicking my ass. Harshly.

"Hello there, young intruder; May I ask what are you doing here?"

I blinked, paling as this situation continued but managed some words out as the man waited patiently.

"I-I am here t-to kill..." I pointed at the glaring Raynare. "H-Her."

He stared up to his subordinate and the young woman shied away from looking back at him.

"Is that so?"

I nodded and he sighed. "Then could you explain to me what drives you to such a… murderous mission?" The Governor-General inquired with an intrigued tone. "I was busy with some 'responsibilities' here and I was trying to appear an upstanding boss for those three… 'wayward' idiots."

The three Fallen Angels blushed embarrassed at the way they were addressed, but didn't rebuke it as… Azazel wasn't someone to take lightly, especially if you worked under him.

"S-She killed a friend of mine and… tried to do t-the same with another friend of-"

"She jumped and took the Spear meant to you. I was going to kill you-!"

"_**But doesn't change the fact you hurt her!**_"

We exchanged some fierce glaring, momentarily ignoring whom was in the room but…

"Hahaha! That is something I've not seen in a long time, some childish bickering between enemies." The leader of Grigori chuckled and nodded at me. "I see that you both have some reason to fight each other and, while I would be quick to dispatch a punishment for trying to betray me, young Raynare, how about a bet?"

I tensed at the word 'bet', knowing well enough that 'bets' for Azazel were nothing to be happy about.

_**What was the crazy bastard thinking to do?**_

"A fair fight to the death between you and this funny fellow. The one that wins this match gets to live after today and… I don't think I need to explain what happens to the one who loses."

"I-I think I should have the right to-"

"Denied~!" He stated pointingly without even looking back at me, his stare turning right at the girl. "What are you going to do, little Raynare?"

Was there even a choice for her?

Even I knew that refusing such situation would mean denying herself a chance of getting a lenient punishment out of her treachery being uncovered by Azazel.

So I wasn't surprised when she managed a quick 'I accept', but I was quite scared when I felt disappearing in some dark-yellow light only to reappear right in front of the young woman, right few meters away from her.

"Then you both better prepared yourselves. We start in 5… 4… 3-"

I quickly took few step backs, both of us creating each six Light Spears and the man pausing a moment to stare at mines.

"You have…" He hummed and then nodded. "If you win I will have to understand how are you doing this."

Now wasn't that reassuring?

3.

2.

1.

Raynare jumped high up and tried to get some advantage by maintaining herself up above, away from direct confrontations.

The initial stage of this fight was pretty much the same of what had happened earlier today, but with a major difference from me.

While my body wasn't as winded as it was back at the Hyoudou residence, my Core hadn't truly recovered from the previous draining exchange of attacks.

So, when I noticed that the woman seemed to have taken a more careful approach over this battle, I knew I had to find a way to force her down on the ground for me to deal in close quarters.

My first attempt was the simplest attack, Silver Lining seals planted on the ground right below the Fallen Angel quickly deploying white ropes of light, those speeding quickly toward the waiting target.

Much to my dismay this effort was rendered nothing by the quick response of the girl, several of the Spears previously targeting my own 'missile' barrage quickly turning to intercept the strings, shredding them instantly.

I gritted my teeth as I felt my reserves starting to groan at the continuous fighting, urging me to find a way to break this stalemate I was losing.

"You will not win, human!" She yelled with utter conviction in herself. "I will not accept losing to you, not anymore. It is my pride and my life at stake!"

I blinked as the number of spears she was producing started to increase, forcing me to start dodging the stray weapons passing through my draining defense.

_**This situation just worsened… a little.**_

My mind was burning at the various plans that started to flash in and those that were rejected because of some impracticability of the current situation.

It was infuriating how I couldn't use the Lightsaber on her because of how distant she was and the fact she was keeping her distance above me was starting to further irk me. I had to move and-

**Slash!**

My eyes widened the moment as I saw one of her Spears tear through part of the sleeve of my left arm, a large gash forming on the limb and forcing me to back away with an agony painted in my face.

_**FUCK! THOSE HURTS!**_

"Just stay still and accept your death, worm!"

I scowled and resumed my dodging, this time the pain keeping me distracted from formulating any logical plan, but was doing miracles in keeping me sharp in seeing the trajectory of the errant Spears coming for me.

A small thought, a chant repeated furiously in my brain, a mantra of strength and anger.

Hit her.

**HIT HER!**

I wanted to land a fucking hit on that flying bitch and I was starting to see red the more this continued. Something big, I wanted to squish her like the annoying mosquito she was and…

I blinked in realization as a good idea popped in my mind at those fury-fueled thoughts.

This place was filled with rubble, old benches and other large projectile I could use.

A small smile formed in my face and it was quickly noticed by Raynare.

"Already accepting your fate, human?"

"Me, giving up?" I replied with an amused tone. "I was just considering how you preach about pride but never about the morals. You strive for some ends, but never consider the means to reach it."

She frowned but I continued. "That is why I shall be the victor of this fight. For I have the moral high ground here!"

At this declaration a snarl left her lips and she starting to push even more energy in her attacks.

**But it was too late for her.**

Several seals spawned around the unoccupied sections of the Church.

Benches, debris and other broken but sturdy parts of the place were suddenly yanked up and towards the Fallen Angel.

The young woman's eyes widened at the massive assault and I could only guess because she wasn't expecting this much effort from a human like me.

But as she successfully shifted her attention to grind down the rocks and the wood sent at her, I quickly snapped in action, using one of the Silver Linings to yank myself right on one of the approaching debris and then… I jumped up and above the unsuspecting girl.

My body was on fire from the usage of so much energy and the stress building up, the sudden duress I had put onto my core starting to bite my butt, but the adrenaline was doing more than enough to keep me from getting distracted by the searing pain steadily growing through my entire body.

The Lightsaber once owned by Freed blazed to life as I prepped it for its first lightshow under my ownership, ready and eager to get a killing blow accomplished and soon, once I had stabilized well above the distracted Fallen Angel, I dived in for the victory blow.

Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was instinct that got her to perceive me, but by the time I was close enough to her, Raynare snapped her head right to where I was.

Violet eyes widening in terrified shock, she couldn't do anything as my blade came down upon her.

Something was cut, blood was spilled and… I was sent crashing toward the ground.

**CRACK!**

Pain surged within my now-throbbing right arm, the limb taking most of the punishment and… I think some ribs broke too.

I coughed some blood, failing to stand up as I looked back at where Raynare was.

The young woman had followed my same descent to the floor, slamming quite brutally on the ground as she ended up getting cut by the pieces of rocks around.

We were both sporting minor cuts from this escalation and our breathings were labored at best.

We waited some time, trying to see whom was going to get up and get the victory while also knowing that we weren't able to do so.

Too much pain and strain was going through our system and our bodies had gone beyond the limits we had.

A smiling Azazel landed right between us and raised his arms towards both.

"It would seem like this match has ended in… a draw!"

…

_**W-Wha the-**_

**Thud**

Before I could call BS on what had just happened, that my efforts were useless and that Raynare was going to live…

_**What an infuriating day!**_

* * *

I woke up some time later, surprisingly enough not in the church I had fallen unconscious to.

My eyes snapping open suddenly as the pain finally broke me away from my slumbering.

I stared at the ceiling of the room, a familiar ceiling-

This was the ceiling of my room.

My eyes widened and slowly I started to look around, trying to not move my body too much as I was still sore and in pain.

H-How did I got there? Who brought me here-

My thoughts died down the moment I heard some pages of a book rustling quickly, as if someone was cheeking my-

I stared at Azazel, the man sighing in disappointment as he closed another book from my library and giving me an annoyed glance.

"You know, Hoitsu Sakakibara, you are one of the most boring young men I had the opportunity to be around with."

He shook his head in shame. "Your parents aren't around most of the day, sometime even being away for the entire day, and what I find from your library is..."

"**That you don't have a porn stash!**"

I frowned in confusion as the man started to chuckle at his own words, my left eye twitching in annoyance at the attempt of his to find anything remotely connected to 'non-descript stuff' in my room of all places.

"But let us talk about something a little more… serious." He sighed as he carefully sat on the bed, avoiding to crush my poor legs.

"Your little fun fight, the one I caused out of boredom, brought up some questions about your current abilities and… your identity," He took in his hands my wallet and looked at the ID card here. "You see, I am fairly sure that you are a full-human, your parents are humans… and yet you can use Holy energy, pure one at that."

...was that so unique? I thought someone else would have-

"Oh? You don't even know why is it important?"

I flinched at the sudden interjection, almost caught off-guard by it..

"Your face is currently a window to your thoughts after getting this much beaten and coming to crash down on the unforgiving ground of a ruined church from a fall of more than 10 meters" The man hummed quietly, then he stopped another search around the room to continue. "By the way, the worst of your wounds should be gone in a few hours from now. Your biology has quite the quick regenerative power-"

He stopped at my questioning wide eyes and smiled.

_**What was he talking about?**_

"Yep, you're quite different from what a normal human should be. The holy energy present in your body is slowly improving your entire being- nothing that could turn you in an Angel, mind you, there are too many differences between you and a pure-blooded Angel."

Azazel sighed and patted my leg, getting a hiss of pain out of me.

"Jeez, that much sore? Well, I guess that could be caused **by being that much suicidal**."

I felt my features hardening as he gave me a strong and stern look, an unnatural sight to be bestowed.

"That was stupid- no, even worse than that. **You almost died**."

Flinching at the stern words, I was still subjected to this unexpected lecture as I was quite sure that Azazel had_ never displayed_ this much sternness around someone, especially with a 'nobody' like me.

It was odd and… somehow unnerving.

"Your reserves were close to fully dry up, your body was collapsing at the pressure and I had to employ the help of some old associates to get you in stable condition."

He stared silently right onto the bandages applied to my body, then he looked up to my face as if trying to push the point deeper in my brain.

"You were throwing your life to just a draw, one that was admirable mind you, but a silly and senseless one at best," The Governor-General sighed tiredly. "And… that made me consider something."

I blinked and he snorted at my confusion.

"You are dumb and inexperienced but you have potential to become someone important in this mad world," The man explained with a softer tone, a small smile playing on his face. "The kind of potential that, if carefully groomed, can bring you to achieve some impressive milestones."

Was he going to- No, that couldn't be it.

There was no way in Hell that Azazel himself was going to get me in Grigori.

Sure, the organization was a hub for anyone willing to side against Hell and Heaven (albeit formally considering the state of the factions' relationships).

"I know that you're the informant that revealed the plot Kokabiel is concocting as of now," He stated with undeniable certainty in his tone, causing me to look shocked at this certainty. "You made a great service for Grigori and, while I can't offer you much, I do think you would benefit to work with us."

What the-

"But not as a full worker," The leader of the group continued, detailing his proposal. "I wish to have you as a… part-timer; Someone for minor missions and then, maybe after few years from now, as an associate affiliated to us."

I blinked, contemplating this offer.

If I joined even part of Grigori, I would have to deal with long missions, face some big threats and… be sent away from Kuoh, possibly ruining my chances of keeping my general cover about my knowledge and interest in developing my abilities.

Still, the risks were worth some neat rewards as Grigori did have some brilliant teachers and many were researchers with a penchant of developing modern-based spells and magic-related technology.

"And before you ask- yes, we will have to first train you up before sending you in real mission," He snorted and shook his head. "As if I would send you, an inexperienced idiot with these suicidal tendencies, to fight_ for us _in an official job."

I narrowed my eyes at the insults, starting to get offended by this easy-going skit he was trying to pull here.

"And I will also add up the premium offer of being trained by me, the grand and majestic Azazel, for a few days!" He proclaimed with unrestrained glee, then he sighed. "Just the time I will be there in Kuoh and then I will have someone else assigned to deal with you."

_**Someone else? And he wanted to train me?**_

While one would easily accept at this point, the gains that I would receive from such offer way beyond what I could normally achieve on my own, I was quite wary of being my butt-kicked by Azazel and given a full-treatment of his usually-abrasive personality.

The man might mean good things, but knowing that he did train Vali and the Host of the Vanishing Dragon appeared in Canon way over-powered already, I was aware that I was going to be suffering through those days if I said yes.

...Yet the benefits were still interesting as I would gain an edge for the incoming fights and prepare myself for the show's biggest threat.

By fighting Raynare this early, Gods know how much I twisted the current timeline because… the Chaos Theory.

Conflicted but somehow determined to not deny myself the little chance of advancing my growth even faster, I let out a single but careful nod, a gesture more than enough for the leader of Grigori to smile at and take it as a 'yes'.

"Good! Then I will call you… tomorrow morning to address your new schedule and… I think we are done for now."

He stood up from the bed and moved towards the door.

"By the way,"

_**Oh Gods, what does he want now?**_

"While you were sleeping a young man and a cute girl decided to pass by and I think one of them is the owner of the Booster Gear, correct?"

I nodded again and he smiled.

"Well, I let them in and they are waiting outside."

He opened the door and the man left while waving back at me, letting the two visitors enter moments after.

Issei and Asia walked inside and stopped to stare at my current state, the young man's eyes widening as he tried to formulate any sentence, while the young nun gasping at the scene.

"Senpai!"

_**Goddammit! Now I have to deal with them worried kohais too…**_

* * *

**AN**

**6k chapter and my hands are hurting, yay!**

**Anyway, I hope that I didn't disappoint with the fight as usually I am not that good with them. I am fairly rusty in pacing them but I have some images while writing down so… maybe.**

**More explanations about the MC's improved biology next chapter. I didn't want to bloat this one with info and thus decided to leave the better explained version of his situation for a latter time.**

**He isn't an Angel, nor a Fallen one too. He is 75/80% Human… the rest is kind of odd.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Ascandas****: Speaking of Gilgamesh… I might have some plans about him (but no, it will have little to do about FSN).**

**Guest (Chapter 4)****: I mean, he did 'Hermit Purple' to get on the rock before jumping over Raynare.**


	6. Fleeting Normalcy

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 6****: ****Fleeting Normalcy **

* * *

The shining morning of this new day started what was supposed to be a particularly normal day.

With Raynare and her group pushed away from Kuoh Town and with my cover remaining intact after the ordeal I had to face through to get the threat removed, I was ready to get few hours of relieving normalcy at the Academy and see how things were going at the Student Council.

Well, mostly normalcy as I still had to give a tour of the school to a thrilled Asia. The blonde had excitedly narrated how the strange but kind man (read as 'Azazel') told her that he would have had some words with the principal of the establishment to enlist her in the same year Issei was frequenting.

While the news might have been happily accepted by the brunet at the idea of having such a cute girl around - while also being remembered that I wasn't going to allow him to do anything_ remotely_ perverted to the girl, I had to be the one breaking some issues that will immediately appear with this situation.

In the show it isn't never mentioned what level of education Asia had when she reached Japan, nor is it said if she did frequent or not the Catholic private schools that children in Catholic-owned orphanages were supposed to go.

Thus the first question about as she continued to heal me with her Sacred Gear was what was her last school experience before being excommunicated. She had to think about it since the Italian school system was completely different from the Japanese one, but I managed to get a positive response.

First year of Lyceum.

The Italian Lyceum was technically the commonly-known high school, and so that meant that she was going to skip only a year of school by being in the same course as Issei. Not something truly dreadful to deal with but also something that was going to require some adjustments in the girl's homework for the sake of catch up with her peers.

And that was going to be a somewhat easy job thanks to my position within the School Council.

The foreign girl hummed happily as she continued to walk close to me, listening to the various info about the school and the various sections of the building I was providing her with.

"So Issei-san is subscribed to the Occult Research Club… which his made by the other members of the _peerage_ he is part of?"

"Correct." I nodded and gave her a small smile back at her own. "Rias Gremory is one of the two owners of Kuoh's grounds by Devils' laws. The other one is the current Student Council's president, Sona Shitori. Her real last name is 'Sitri' but she wants to be addressed either as 'Sona-san' and 'Shitori-san'."

"Sona-...san. Okay!" I was having a really hard time keeping the urge of patting her head away from hindering my current job. She was adorable and I prayed for said adorable feature to never be weaponized.

After almost ten minutes of walking around and giving Asia a full look of how the Academy looked like inside, we both reached for the door that led to the classroom she was assigned to.

"Remember to not get distracted by Issei during the lessons and to take notes- Also, if Motohama and Matsuda tried to do anything remotely perverted to say 'no' and get Ise to tell them off, okay?"

She nodded, a determined expression in her face that just conveyed all the cuteness someone like her could muster. I blinked when my hand unconsciously went over her head, causing the blonde to look in surprise the moment it start to pat her golden locks. "Remember to relax and to never hesitate in asking for help."

Her body tensed in surprise at the encouraging words, her eyes glowing a little and then- my own eyes widened in shock as I found myself with her arms wrapped around my torso, a giggle left her lips as she concluded the brief hug. "Thank you for helping me around, Senpai. I do appreciate your kindness and support."

I chuckled. "Just avoid trouble, Asia-chan, and you will be super-fine."

A last giggle left her as she moved towards the door, knocking at it and waiting for a response. At the invite from the teacher to join inside, the former nun nodded and waved quickly at me as she finally entered inside the classroom.

I waited few more moments, sighing in relief the moment I decided it was time to go back in my own classroom. I wonder how things were going for Rias now that she wasn't going to have Asia as her Bishop.

It will be a dreadful weakening when she will have to face Riser, but I am fairly sure having Ddraig more active so early on and Issei actively training with him to unlock his potential a little quicker than in Canon will be enough of a re-balance.

Sitting in my usual post, the teacher started with the roll call as he would usually do this at this stage of the day. I took out my notes, a pen and the English textbook, ready to deal with what was supposed to be a normal day at the Academy.

But it was right as I looked up from my desk to give attention to the teacher, I noticed almost instantly something very concerning. Rias' cerulean eyes darted away as she saw me looking her way, my mind screaming at the fact I had caught her interest for some reason.

I tried to not focus too much on her attempt to hide away what had just happened and turned back to the teacher… and found out that Akeno was still staring at me.

While this would have been chilling because of her personality and all, what made her stare the most dreadful to go through was the _lack of her usual smile_. Instead she was giving me an analytical look, studying me from afar and…

That didn't bode well with me.

* * *

In the official room of the Student Council I found some relief away from the newfound issue presented by the fact the Gremory's heiress wanted something from me.

The idea of her wanting to 'recruit' me was already off the table, knowing that Sona wouldn't want the redhead to have a hand in _her_ group. Even through I wasn't in her peerage, the Sitri was quite protective about everyone in her team, especially those loyal and faithful to her orders and capacity of decision-making.

I sighed tiredly as I signed another piece of paper off to the side, right beside me Tsubaki silently doing the part of work she requested to help with. Having been absent for two days now from dealing with Council's duty, there was quite the stack of paperwork to deal with and the Vice-President decided to offer her support in dealing through with all of it.

The bespectacled girl took this time to explain what had happened during the two previous council sessions I had been unable to attend and while also ask how I spent the time while resting away at home.

I had to present a modified story of the 'grocery encounter' but the girl seemed to accept the story I had given her, quite surprised to learn that I met the newest addition of the school in this casual way.

Half an hour of dutifully completing the large workload of three days, I found smiling at the grand result managed today. I gave a quick but meaningful 'thank you' to Tsubaki, the second-in-command nodding and giving a small smile.

Just as I thought that this was going to be how I was going to spend the last hour at school today, an unexpected knocking at the door interrupted the activities within the room. There was a brief pause as we all exchanged some glances about what to do.

Currently in the classroom were Reya, Ruruko, Tsubaki and me.

The first two were formally my assistants, but generally helped around every major member of the council. Slowly gaining some experience, both girls were still unable to fit a proper position with the limited Council's roster. They were trying to put some cardboard boxes inside one of the lockers within the small storage area connected to the classroom as they stopped to hear this sudden noise, almost tripping on each other as they were carrying one of the bigger boxes.

Sona was currently busy with some meeting with the administrators of the school, thus leaving only us in the Council's room.

I blinked and decided to take some action. "You may enter."

With the permission granted, the door opened and Rias Gremory led the trio made by her, Kiba and Akeno inside, eyes directly fixed on me as she approached.

"Sakakibara-san." The redhead greeted with a quick nod, the others deciding to let their leader speak this time around. Which conveniently helped me a lot as I had to deal only with a single individual.

"Gremory-san." I returned the greeting politely, waiting for the young woman to speak… and so she did with a certain confident tone.

"I wish to talk with you about Asia-san." There was that smile, the smile that felt like the world here in Kuoh had to bend to her way. I don't hate nor dislike Rias, it's all about her over-confident behavior she got before the Raiser's Saga that got me quite annoyed of talking with her.

Thus my frown deepened and I let out another curt nod. "Sure, what do you need to know about her?"

And while I looked the perfect example of calm to those looking my face, inside my head a storm was slowly forming, the maelstrom of thoughts and theories about the following discussion being far from positive or good for myself.

But still, I decided to see where this was going and let her speak freely.

"I was thinking of having Asia-san enlisted to the Occult Research Club. I did ask her about the possibility but she seemed adamant to not join it and..." Her eyes narrowed softly. "You were the last one to speak to her and-"

"Are you seriously saying that I would for some reason order her to not join a specific club, Gremory-san? Are you possibly accusing me of something in particular of that sort?"

My tone was glacial and the brief hesitation from Rias at the strong front I was putting at that implied attack seemed to show that she wasn't as strong as she looked to be in confrontations of this kind.

"I-I was referring to the fact you might have said something that could have been badly-interpreted."

My boiling fury kept still as I continued to keep myself stern about this situation. Emotions were going to hinder any chance of dealing with this predicament without issues.

"Asia-san asked if it was necessary to join up a club, stating that she would have liked to have to get hold of her classes and see how to deal with them without any further weight over her head. I reminded her that as per rules, students at Kuoh Academy have a maximum of 2 months to decide to join or not a club."

Her eyes widened and she looked unsure how to continue the discussion. Of course I did mention that it was best for the blonde to enter her club, as if I wanted a God-devoted girl to be deprived of the chance of grasping at her metaphysical crutch.

Because, as much as I wasn't much of a Church's believer, I was one that understood that everyone needs to have someone to pray at when they were at their lowest. Without tangible support, Asia directed her prayers to someone that was 'unquestionably good' and 'that would never turn His back at her'.

If the girl joined the ORC? She would be pressured to become a Bishop, as she would be vulnerable as a human in a group of devils, and would have to then learn about God's death by Kokabiel.

I know it's wrong to lie just like I know that it was a duty to be honest to someone as precious as the girl- but I was also very important to keep her from learning about this disastrous news in the heat of a fight.

I will be the one telling her, once I know that she can easily find a fall back for her hopes in someone like Issei or me. It might sound selfish but… if I had to choose between breaking her heart like that during a battle or in a place and time where she could think properly about this, I think my answer is as clear as a cloudless sky.

Just as the redhead seemed ready to continue with this hopeless situation, I felt the phone I had in the left pocket of my pants vibrate, notifying me about a new message. Slowly I picked the small device and checked whom was it and…

I frowned at the content of the short message and the name of the contact that sent it.

"Tsubaki-san, I think I will have to go now. It's about the late lessons I have to take now." The bespectacled girl blinked at the sudden development but nodded with an understanding glint in her heterochromic eyes.

"I will take this situation off your hands then." The Vice-President stated with a nod as she turned her attention to the trio. "As Hoitsu-san has just finished to tell you, his role doesn't allow him to-"

I walked around the envoy and waved at the other two girls in the room, both smiling and nodding my way as I walked out of the door.

But just as I closed it behind me, I felt like I was being watched until that moment. I could feel something or _someone_ reaching from me while I was going towards the lone entrance to the classroom.

I glanced back and shivered. _What was that?_

* * *

Deciding to not indulge the blessing that allowed me to hastily retreat away from dealing with this odd situation and to face the planned encounter with Azazel, I proceeded to walk towards the school's entrance, sure that at this time of the day most of the students that weren't doing club-work were already out of the Academy.

And yet, as I walked out of the glass doors, I noticed a short figure waiting here. Golden eyes turned my direction as Koneko was waiting by the end of the stairs, holding with one hand behind her back a familiar test-paper.

I blinked and as much as she was trying to appear calm and restrained, a small smile was twitching on her lips. It didn't take a genius to understand that the little Nekomata had just got a good grade out of yesterday's test.

And I was correct.

As we walked through the streets of Kuoh Town, the younger student decided to tell more how her test had gone.

It was surprising to see someone as stoic and usually reserved as Koneko speaking this much openly and in detail about something that had happened to her. Surprising and very adorable.

She didn't spare any brief spur of emotion from showing as she revealed so eagerly the '99/100' she got in the Math exam.

"I never got this high grade before…" She muttered happily while holding the paper. Her tone was incredulous, as if she was dreaming all of this and she couldn't believe it was actually true.

"Preparation is the key of success, Koneko-san." I replied with a small smile of mine. "When you give your all in preparing for a test, you will be scoring some good grade out of it."

The girl considered my words and then hummed in agreement. "But I have to thank you for the support, senpai." She walked quickly in front of me and stopped, causing me to stop too. "You helped me and… I am thankful."

It was tame, but I wasn't expecting much from it. Yet I decided to poke a little at her current attitude.

"By the way, I hope you received some other congratulations." I said with a small smile. "That was certainly an achievement for you and I hope you got some rewards out of it."

She frowned and blinked confused. "Rewards?"

"You know, the classic 'you did amazing', 'Since you have been good, I will buy you some candy-'"

"Are you offering to buy, senpai?" The white-haired girl interrupted with a strange glint in her eyes. "I know a place that sells-"

"I don't have money on me right now, Koneko-san, I am sorry." She deflated at that development, a flinch-worthy scene. Thus I decided to sprung into action.

The girl tensed, much like Asia did earlier that day as my hand patted her head. I expected her to react badly, maybe pummel me away if I went in too aggressive, and yet…

"W-Why?" There was a light stutter, a very _adorable_ one too.

"I think you did good." I replied without hesitation. "You put yourself on the test and got one of the highest scores. That is nothing to scoff at and… good job, Koneko-chan."

The young girl slowly turned around and looked up right at me. There was a minor blush in her cheeks and her eyes were wide open. "You..." Koneko started, her voice lost after few moments of careful head-patting. "You aren't going to tell anyone about this."

A quick but decisive threat. "And I get to reward you like this?"

She didn't reply, trying to pout at little but failing to hide some slivers of happiness appearing on her face.

The situation lasted five more minutes and we parted for our respective ways.

Today was sure looking up for me!

* * *

I've jinxed myself.

The first training session with Azazel was supposedly an 'introductory' one, the man offering a brief schedule about the three days he was going to teach me around.

The session was structured in a simple thing:

First we had training with swords as the Fallen Angel wanted my skill with the Lightsaber to be top notch; Magic training was a mix of exercises to increase my already growing Core, learning new spells and practicing what I had learned during spars; the last section was bare-handed fighting, something I was completely ineffective about as the man did have some mad experience about being close and personal against people.

But while said regime looked fairly simple, the truth was completely the opposite.

The leader of Grigori had come prepared for the occasion, bringing in more than forty small bottles with a clear green liquid in those. The man was quick to reveal that those were very expensive health potions called 'Tears of Phoenix', something that was sold primarily by the Phenex family.

Kind of a dreadful reminder of the things that would have to happen in a month from now.

The reason of the insane price was based on the fact that those could heal quickly, restore a body out of fatigue, recharge a Magical Core and that multiple potions can be used repeatedly without running in any dangerous after-effects.

A powerful thing that ended up being my ruin for the four hours of utter pain I had to go through.

Azazel didn't hold his punches, nor his sword's strikes… and his magical nuking. Seriously, I was turned in a fun target that could hardly dodge or counter anything thrown at me.

Something did change the moment I got to read and practice two new spells,** Light Mining** and** Light Barrier**.

The L. Barriers created cushions between the attack and the caster, giving me some edge in deflecting or out-right dodge some of his attacks and try to lure him to make use of the Mining spell.

Obviously it was a minor improvement but, as the fist-fight resumed for the 33th time, I managed to get some dodging done and hitting his guard more than once. It was refreshing and would have been awesome if…

**THUD**

...he hadn't been holding back for the first two hours.

Groaning on the floor, I noticed that there was only two potions left and I dreaded the fact the last round was the 34th of all numbers.

"Now that did sound like an interesting round." The man chuckled as he pulled me off the floor, sighing as he looked around the damaged arena. As he wasn't sparing any blows, I wasn't certainly holding back anything, resulting in the utter devastation visible in the building.

"I got my ass kicked."

"But you lasted longer than the first time. I would say 20 times than your initial time."

I frowned at his attempt to cheer me up. "D-Didn't I last like a minute the first time."

He snorted at my tired reply, my ears catching what seemed to be a _**that's what she said**_, further irking my strained brain as I downed the content of the penultimate of the bottles left.

Azazel turned around with a feral smile. "C'mon, one last time." He sighed, his energy showing once more, like a sun ready to explode right on me. "This time… _with emotion_."

The clash resumed, this time I decided to give my fullest and…

An hour later I fell on the floor with a solid **Thud**, my body on fire as I went beyond my limits and gained something of an edge against the stronger being.

I noticed how he restrained himself from flying, giving me the chance to unbalance his footing with the creative use of mines bouncing off the barriers. It was like using a cannon against Terminator and the grinning bastard managed to still recover quickly enough to render the initial advantage minimal.

"You almost made me slip. That was some good thinking… and I think this is enough for today's."

I sighed in relief accepting his help to get off the ground for the umpteenth time, drinking quickly the last bottle and taking few moments to recover from that beating.

"Your potential is quite higher than I initially thought. I can see that you will be quite the dangerous individual in the great game once we are done with your training."

As I contemplated his words, Azazel slowly handed me a small USB. "What is it?"

"A tome from Grigori's library. It contains the first ten spells for Shadow-craft."

At my confused look, the leader of the Fallen Angels sighed. "Its a craft that very few individuals can achieve, humans being the prime individuals because of your Earthly Magic."

"Nothing about developing my Light arsenal?" I asked out of curiosity.

He scoffed. "I have already planned to teach you more during the training days, but I want you to learn Shadow-craft on your free time, in the field."

I nodded at his response but decided to ask some more, this time forwarding a question that had been bothering as of late.

"Yesterday you said something strange about my biology and all… what were you talking about?"

He blinked in surprise but smiled. "I guess that has to be a quite the heavy brick to digest and… I think I should have been clearer than that."

The man slowly sat on the ground and I followed his example.

"Your current self, your body and soul, are slightly different than the standard human being. It houses a powerful core that makes use of Holy and Earthly magical energy, something that can be achieved only by Angels or Fallen ones."

I nodded while he pointed at himself, understanding that my case was curious.

"But your current biology isn't neither similar to an Angel nor a Fallen one. You do feel like one, but checking better one with a good sensory ability can see that there is a prevalence of humanity within you, simple mortality only humans can have."

"So you mean that I kept myself a human even with the injection of Holy energy."

"Correct. You are a human being that has merely increased his magical and physical growth. You will get some muscles and maybe swoon some women in the process-" He chuckled at that much to my annoyance. "But you are not able to fully compose the spells you make."

At this I let out a frown. "I thought I did all the right things, conceptualizing and materializing the magic while giving the proper amount of energy."

"That is what a spell generally need, but those that are reserved to Angels and Devils require also a specific essence from the caster, a personification of your will that fuse harmoniously the technique with the energy."

I blinked, realizing what he was talking about.

While fighting Raynare, I did notice that my Spears were slightly weaker than hers, but I thought that it was because mine were basic ones, without any proper reinforcement or something that improved them generally.

But if this was the case, anything I learned that wasn't something humans could generally magically use was going to always be inferior compared to the version used by Angels or Devils.

...Shit.

"So that is why you want me to learn Shadow-related spells?"

The man nodded. "Yep. While I think those will hardly present any powerful attack to use against your enemy, it will give an edge in supporting your allies or giving yourself some time to recover."

I nodded and as I was about to call the day and go home, the man patted my shoulder. "You are going far, Hoitsu, but I have to ask you… what do you wish with this life?"

I frowned. "What?"

"What do you seek with this life? What do you want to achieve by becoming stronger and stronger?"

I blinked and thought about it.

What did I want from this situation? I guess I want to make sure to avoid the deaths of the Canon, the innocents and avoid the awakening of Trihexa.

I wasn't sure that there was something in this world that could help up in dealing with the Dragon of Apocalypse and even training the hardest possible was going to leave me short of something.

There is also the matter of the peace between the Three Factions, fighting the Khaos Brigade, both Hero Faction and Qlipoth.

It wasn't a bleak gaze but neither was a favorable one.

_And yet…_

"I guess I want to be a hero." I decided to say. "Not the 'I am cool and I have this title' hero, I mean the one that kick asses while chewing some gums."

"You want to save the world?" Azazel asked a bit surprised. "I don't want to kick your dream like I just finished kicking you up, but that sounds quite..."

"Childish?"

"I would say simplistic." He sighed. "You are setting the bar quite high and… I hope you aren't going to become power-hungry because of it."

"Nah." I stated with a nod. "I know the difference of meaning it and using the 'Greater Good' to justify some selfish power-gain. I will be content once I am strong enough to deal with the threats in front of me and-"

"I think there is more to it."

I froze and looked at him. "What?"

"I know that you are hiding things away from everyone, things that, from my understanding, seems to be quite private but important… but I want to really know what you want from this all." The fallen angel gestured around.

"The world, the people here and..." Azazel pointed at me. "Yourself."

I blinked, eyes going once more wide as the man got up from the floor. "But I don't think you are ready, or at least you think you are not. Once you are, please… do tell me."

… "Why?"

"Because I think it's a real good motivation and..." He hummed, looking away for a moment. "I think those around you would share this same idea of mine about it."

…

"You are insane, sir."

He grinned madly. "Try to deal with my work-load and the absence of boobs and booze and then we will see who is the insane."

I reiterate my initial assessment about this man.

Azazel was a nutcase and surprisingly enough… I don't mind that he is one.

* * *

**AN**

**Did Akeno feel… something different about our dear MC? (It's not Romantic-related before anyone asks)**

**I had to quadruple-check the DxD timeline as I found myself lacking some proper dates about some of the events and from my understanding between Raynare Arc and Raiser Arc there is a month of difference.**

**This month will be a complete divergence from Canon, the MC will start to walk independently from the plot and work with Grigori. What does this mean? Next chapter will happen three days from this one, after the training and (before the hounds waiting there start to maul me up) I have planned a showcase of the new abilities in the next few chapters as some big AU event is planned to happen in those two-three chapters after this one.**

**What is it about? Find out tomorrow!**

**P.S. (****THIS IS IMPORTANT AND EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT****) For those questioning what 'Canon Pairing' and 'Issei' are going to be in this story, let me say that those will be different from what many think. Canon Pairing doesn't imply the full harem, I've plans to make sure some character to not be included or find other pairings along the way. For those who have read carefully chapter 1, I did say that the MC has been around for months before the beginning of Canon (Volume 1 happens in April, MC was around since January) and he didn't stay idle. Issei is not his canon self (or at least he isn't molesting nor cringing around with his love for Oppai). He is still a pervert, he will peep when possible, but he will not go beyond that, maybe even lessening even more.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**RedBurningDragon****: It's planned to integrate the abilities of other dimensions, yes.**

**Strife666****: Similar but also very different. The Holy Injection was needed to kickstart something already present in his body, forcing his Core to develop Holy energy on its own, while Nagumo is more of a 'I eat, I gain power' kind of absorption.**

**RoachVit****: A Nephilim is a hybrid of Devil and Angel and by the laws of the DxD world, it shouldn't be a thing. Light/Holy energy kill anyone with a hint of Devil blood in them. He is a… Pseudo-Angel.**

**Guest-Questioner****: A Gary Stu (and its female counterpart, Mary Sue) are the kind of characters that generally obtains everything without any difficulty, sometimes even replacing the original protagonist of a story and getting no obstacle in their part. I am sure that the MC is not the case.**

**Guest 1 (Chapter 5)****: She was flying, I don't think even a power-tackle from Randy Orton would have reached for her. (But that would have been cool tho)**

**dragonfighter11****: He will have a loli army that isn't **_**technically**_** a harem. I have a pairing with someone interesting and that I wish to develop as a character in this story.**


	7. Petty but Effective

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

**Chapter 7****: Petty but Effective  
**

The building that I've grown accustomed to in the last three days was once again rumbling as the umpteenth spar with Azazel continued.

The Fallen Angel was powerful, experienced and seemingly with never-ending energy. He hardly looked winded after 12 consecutive spars and I was starting to understand that my growth in power wasn't going to be neither a quick, nor an easy one.

The leader of Grigori was somewhat focused, the smile that had characterized the spars the first day disappeared towards the end of the second day. I was getting faster, receptive and incredibly unforgiving when lazy openings were offered.

Real damage on him was minimal, but the annoyance that the firepower of some of my attacks caused on him was enough to make the man take a stronger pace. That had initially meant a sudden switch of speeds and reactions, his attacks getting a little faster and more difficult to deal with.

Yet any attack on me meant a possible opening for me to use on his defenses, which would be exploited by deploying my strongest attacks.

The first Shadow-related techniques revealed to be quite the blessing and, just like Azazel had stated two days ago, it did help in keeping up with my opponent's pacing and swift moves.

It was actually a very simple form, the **Shadow Duet**, which enabled the user to follow up an enemy's speed by latching some magic on his shadow.

It was like attaching a small boat to a very fast gunship with a strong chain., the example also bringing up the glaring issues of this basic technique:

The user's body had to be able to sustain already that kind of speed, the spell wasn't going to nullify the straining a pace beyond the user's limits was going to cause;

While the 'connection' was subtle and difficult to perceive during a fight, if it is found my the enemy, it can be broken or influenced to act on the opposite end, properly destroying the advantage without notice.

The spell was useful in aiding up my offensive capabilities, but paled to the second spell I ended up learning from the USB. The **Silent Step of Darkness** wasn't a spell made for battles, but rather as a stealth/infiltration technique.

By using someone/something's shadow, I could easily make my steps soundless and bolster my speed through several shadows.

The utility it had in this fight?

With Azazel's constant attacking, his shadow was shifting with him and… gave me the chance of being one step forward, dodging his punches and kicks during close quarter without much effort spent there.

And that was why bare-handed fighting became a very frustrating activity for the leader of Grigori… and made him retaliate by dropping literal magical napalm during Magic training.

The bright side of getting this much attention in that compartment was that my barriers got a tiny bit stronger, managing to hold two of the man's Light Spears before collapsing.

It wasn't enough to make this a safe alternative to dodging or using my own Spears to deflect the others, but I was starting to give a little more hope that I could develop some strong protective spell that could do more than just be the 'scapegoat' for attacks.

With the constant use of Spells and the meditation I had to endure with Azazel joking around with some adult topics, my Core was starting to produce and contain much more energy than before.

I could now create eight spears at the same time, but while I could go as far as twelve, their quality would get lesser the more I went beyond that 'safe' number.

I had generally improved and, to be honest, I was quite sure that with this pace I was going to get strong enough to make some 'impact' very soon-

"Enough for today~!" Azazel announced with a small smile without notice, dropping his stance immediately and… making me trip face-first at the sudden declaration.

"What do you mean 'Enough'?! We weren't done!" My outburst was met with a groan from the man.

"Look kid, you might have the Tears of Phoenix keeping you going, but I have nothing to recover the massive input I am deploying." He explained quickly. "Plus, we need to talk about something important."

I blinked at that bit and nodded, approaching slowly the sighing man. "What is it about?"

"Do you remember when I said that my replacement, the one that was going to continue to train you, was supposed to arrive today?"

I narrowed my eyes at that reminder. "Yes. What happened?"

"He is trying to bail out of this." The leader of Grigori hummed. "Not because of you, he doesn't even know you to be this much of a prude already. His problem is… he doesn't want to be there in Kuoh."

"But why?" Was my quick query. I mean, there were several Fallen Angels that would avoid the dual Gremory-Shitori fief, but I don't see one in specific that would give a 'nope' to Azazel… and the man being mostly fine with that.

"Personal issues and… the situation is that I can't go personally to snatch him away from where he is." He turned and pointed at me. "'You' will go and do that for me."

… "What?"

"I need you to go and get him in Kuoh town, do whatever is necessary like helping him with his current mission or out-right try to kidnap him." Then he scrunched his face in thought. "Actually, don't try to forcefully smuggle him out, he might be quite stronger than you."

"How much strong?" I had to consider every situation and kidnapping might be one of those available.

"Strong enough to kill you without trying." He remarked without hesitation. "Plus he will not be alone and the ward is incredibly easy to anger… "

He hummed again. "Actually, you should anger his ward. I want to see his hilarious reaction."

"I assume that this one shouldn't be able to kill me?"

"Oh no, he could and will try to kill you if you even joke around him." The leader of Grigori stated calmly. "But I am confident enough to know you would avoid getting killed by him with what you have."

"So he is dangerous but… still someone I can face against and hope for a victory?"

Azazel thought about it. "Maybe." He nodded. "You could give some trouble, maybe even knock him out before he can get serious."

So someone arrogant… I have _some_ idea of whom he was referring to. I just hope that I wasn't seriously going to face _him_ of all people wherever I was going to sent to.

"By the way, where am I supposed to go exactly?"

For some reason the man gave off a smile bigger than usual.

"Kyoto." He finally replied. "I will come to pick you up tomorrow by dinner-time."

* * *

I was a little tense when Sona asked for more details over this supposed 'odd-job' in the old Capital of the nation. Albeit very lenient and permissive when the situation allowed, the heiress of the Sitri clan was also one that didn't like leaving a strange situation unanswered.

Mentioning the fact I would have to be away from Kuoh town for the following two-three days was enough to spark some surprise, curiosity and suspicion.

The latter emotion was minuscule and overshadowed by the other two, the questions that ensued from that small meeting giving me some insight of why she was suspecting me of something.

While Rias had ditched the idea of approaching me directly, seemingly limiting her attempts to mere glancing and studying me from afar, the President of the Student Council decided to admit to have received 'considerable pressure' from her friend.

"While your point is valid about Asia-san having the right to have some time to decide which club to pick… couldn't you just-"

God-_fucking_-dammit, I am starting to get annoyed now at this attempt to coerce the girl in the OCR.

But while the allure of rebuffing that proposal was strong, I knew that I had to avoid getting caught by my own irritation in some trap I couldn't get out from. Rias might lack the proper influence to push me in the corner, but she knew that the political landscape of the Academy played similarly to a chessboard.

Yet that view wasn't a complete insight over the whole state of things, as there were some advantages that only those that looked around knew about.

So, much to Sona's surprise, I smiled and nodded. "I will see how to solve this situation then." Then I frowned, giving off a very stern and serious look. "But I hope that you will not crack under this kind of pressure, Sona-buchou."

She blinked in surprise. "B-Beg your pardon? Are you saying that-"

"Sona." She frowned at the lack of honorifics but looked quite shocked. "I've known you for what? Four months now? I think I can recognize when something is coming from your mind as those generally have a superb level of logic to them that I can't help but accept them instantly. You are usually very objective and impartial, yet you are flawed in properly curtailing the fact you were pushed into this."

The girl kept quiet, we were alone in the Council's classroom for this special discussion and that meant I had to pick my words carefully now. Sona was smart and very perceptive to things around her, but also relatively naive and easy to mislead when particular individuals had a grip over her.

"Y-you-" There was a long pause after that botched attempt to reply, this ending with a tired sigh from her. "You are correct."

She leaned on her chair. "Rias has been pointing out that you were quite stern about keeping 'Asia from picking the club she wanted'-"

I opened my mouth but the president held her hand, gesturing me to keep quiet. "Tsubaki-san was quick enough to rectify this 'mistaken' thought as she was present when the encounter happened and she had spared few words with Asia-san to confirm your point of view for this situation."

I blinked in surprise at this. I mean, I was fairly close to Tsubaki, nothing of romantic as she had been keen to state that she was not interested in pursuing anything serious with anyone right now, but to think that she would go out of her way to confirm my version was… _touching._

"Still, I have realized that during our last encounter Rias-san had mentioned some facts that weighted heavily over the school's current situation." Sona mentioned and I quickly connected this to the coalition she and the redhead shared for this territory. "Her father is an influential donor to the Academy, his funds help to sustain a steady income to maintain our present's situation."

I can see where she was trying to go… but I could see her looking away while giving this last bit. Rias was far too much a softie to contemplate pulling a 'rich-girl' act and get Zeoticus to pull out his donations to the school. The Academy was her base was and having it closing down would have been a stupid risk to take to expand her peerage.

But I had to give it to Sona, if I hadn't known the situation to the fullest and didn't know about the tell-tale signs of her lying, I might have thought badly of the Gremory's heiress.

"Then I will make sure to avoid any situation that could warrant any reason for her… _to make a scene_." My words caused the girl to nod nervously as it seemed like she herself trying to digest her own lie even now.

"I will leave you to this matter. I hope that… you understand my concerns and why this happened." I nodded at her hesitant self.

"I do, Sona-buchou. But I want to say only this to you." I said with a serious tone. "I know that, if you give some thought over this matter, some way to circumvent this predicament can be found and I believe you will do that."

The following smile, a hopeful one, was what made the girl pause in her tracks, eyes darting away as she considered those words and nodding a goodbye as she spent some more time alone.

Meanwhile I was already walking towards Asia's and Issei's classroom, it was already lunch-time and school generally ended early on Fridays as Saturdays and Sundays were school-free. Spotting the brunet and the blonde was easy thing, both were chatting amiably as usual and Issei waved in my direction once he saw me coming.

"Senpai, it's good to see you and-"

The boy's boisterous greeting was interrupted by Asia, the girl giggling as she spoke over him. "Senpai, today Issei-kun did protect me!"

I blinked twice, surprise painted in my face at the sudden statement. "What?"

"I-It wasn't a big time. Matsuda and Motohama were pushy with Asia and I tell them to don't bother her-"

"Then you punched Matsuda-san when he ignored you." The girl's smile was incredibly bright, as bright as the blush currently visible in Issei's face. "Issei-kun is that kind."

The boy stammered a little, the flattering compliment coming from such sweet girl was quite the achievement for part of his dream. "A-Asia-chan is just too kind. S-She did make me some bento today too."

This time it was the former nun's turn to blush a clear red. "I-I just wanted to give you a gift for… helping me around so much."

...It was just too cute. Both of them were when interacting with each other and… I contemplated going for a checkup and see if I got some diabetes from that scene alone.

"I am happy to see that you are this close to each other." A new round of blushes resounded within the two Kohais. "But I'm here to say two important things."

My words got them to sober up as I did give them a serious glance. "This weekend I will be out of Kuoh for some job out of town. I should be back by Monday but if there are any issues I wish to be contacted without hesitation." I looked at both younger students. "Understood?"

They shared a nod and I sighed in relief. "Good, now we focus on you, Asia-chan."

The girl blinked and frowned. "M-Me?"

"There had been some pressure about you having to join a club today and do you remember the idea I gave to you yesterday about that possible club?" Her eyes glowed a little in remembrance and she nodded happily.

"The Theater club?"

I nodded myself, remembering having suggested to the blonde that the club was offering the chance to work a volunteering course that allowed people to participate in charity events and perform freely for hospital children.

The idea of making people smile through their bad days, especially children, was something that thrilled the girl quite instantly. Of course I had to check if there were any requirements that could obstruct the girl from applying for this setting and I found nothing that could be problematic in the least.

"I think it's time you join a club."

She almost squealed at my words and the three of us walked towards the section of the school housing the particular club. The Amphitheater was mostly known to the students as the place where important announcements and events happened, very few knew that it was also used as the 'headquarters' for the Theater club.

There were two presidents of the club, sort of consuls, and the club was evenly split between male and female students. Previously an all-girls club, the former president permitted aspiring male actors to join and have their own representative.

Surprisingly enough, this was considered one of the clubs that received quite the support from the several of the school's donors. It was just this well-organized and administered that the resulting events were considered the Academy's prime delight.

Having already spared some words with both club's presidents, enlisting Asia was just a matter of few moments and the girl was officially made part of the volunteering group.

Holding the copy of the certificate that rendered her effectively part of the club, I told her that she merely had to go to the student council's room and hand this out to Tsubaki.

As we were turning the corner of one of the halls, we found our path blocked by few individuals.

Rias looked partly smug, Kiba, Koneko and Akeno few steps behind her, the girl possibly expecting a quick victory from this encounter as she had a flier in her hands and… much to her future dismay, I decided to do something completely unexpected for her plans.

I patted Asia's shoulder and stated few words. "I think I will be going, please remember to leave the certificate of your official acceptance to the club to Sona-san."

The blonde nodded happily and I decided to leave Rias to deal with her unexpected defeat. Her eyes had widened by the time I had passed her and I was fairly sure she realized almost instantly what was going on but…

I was happily going to ignore all of that today. I still had to focus on prepare my luggage for the small trip to Kyoto and I couldn't afford to-

**BZZT**

I blinked as my arm shot protectively on my chest, the sudden electric shock forcing me to back away from… Akeno.

I didn't look back, but I was fairly sure that she didn't do anything as I was passing. Yet, as our elbows were close to each other, a sudden spark reached out for my arm. It wasn't painful, just 'shocking'.

_And as Hoitsu continued for his path back home, Akeno looked back at him as he retreated away, her arm held close as she felt the same electric sensation._

* * *

**AN**

**Hehehehe, this last bit might hint to something a little more… deeper. But it isn't!**

**Akeno-chan is actually 'not' in Issei's harem for this story but… she will be a fun girl to write about. Lots of potential at the fact she is both a sadist and a masochist… eheheheheh.**

**Some little opening about the skills that will appear in the next two chapters and, before anyone asks: No, the Kyoto Segment will not be a copy and paste of the show happening. The Khaos Brigade is still forming and they would hardly care to try and take on the Yokai faction this early on.**

**The third chibi is coming soon! XD**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Strife666****: Mostly yes. While MC's body has some degree of adaptability, most of it comes from his mind. It's his capacity to plan the best ways to integrate spells and new powers within himself that allows him to evolve. Speaking of which, there will be a fourth category of Spells coming with those two chapters.**

**User may be a smug prick****: I am just writing and… I don't seem to be able to stop! XD**

**GGPD:**** As of now, integrating Demonic energy this early in the story could be fatal for MC. That is why (if it will happen) it will happen a bit later than now. Demonic energy clash terribly with the holy energy, that is why Devils are weak to Light spells.**

**RedBurningDragon****: About Akeno, something along those lines but not about Grigori. She will actually have to spend some time thinking what is the MC. Until this point I didn't know there was another parallel work in this Universe (will have to read that before doing anything about it but it is a strong maybe-ish of the yes-kind.) and I don't know what is that pairing, you should give me the names as I don't recognize it.**


	8. Meeting and Befriending

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 8****: Meeting and Befriending**

* * *

Once the city that hosted the Imperial Court in Japan before the Meiji Restoration happened, Kyoto had long been turned in an influential cultural capital in the nation.

It was one of the cities spared during WW2 but also one of the last ones to get properly modernized to an acceptable level.

I spent some time around the area near the Kyoto Station to try and get some important equipment before going to the Hotel Azazel had booked for me. The Mall within the large station building offered maps for tourists and some interesting souvenirs I decided to pick and give to Asia, Issei and the members of the Student Council.

But alas, just as I felt like I got everything I needed to get from the Station and ventured outside of the structure, I stopped just a moment to take in a _small_ detail I had completely forgotten to consider about Kyoto.

This city… was much, _much_ bigger than Kuoh.

While this shouldn't be problematic in the least, the issue was more related to some meek nervousness about being in such large city, especially since I've hardly left Kuoh for some holidays during the months before the beginning of Canon.

While my new parents were quite rich, they were also hesitant to go on trips that weren't for work, thus depriving me of the chance to explore a little more Japan.

Deciding that I had to recollect myself somewhere safe, I started to walk through specific streets of Kyoto, my eyes darting from the map to the streets' signs once or twice per moment as to confirm my current situation.

It took me fifteen minutes to find myself staring to a very familiar building, the hotel being something I've already seen before in the show.

Built by the Gremory family to honor their son's title, the Kyoto Sirzechs Hotel was a common place of rest for many businessman and government's officials passing by, but also for rich tourists and VIPs.

I reached for the receptionist, standing behind a large counter with several other workers dealing with other clients. The young woman, looked up from her terminal and smiled.

"Good morning, sir, how may I help you?"

I blinked and showed her the small card Azazel had given to me. I was pretty much clueless over the room number and _what_ kind of room I was going to have for my stay here in Kyoto.

With another perfect smile, the woman nodded and picked a particular set of keys.

Number 137, heh.

Nodding and thanking the receptionist, I was quick to move towards the elevators picking one of the few yet to be used. Entering inside it, I was greeted by a panel with seven different buttons that led to 6 floors and an underground parking lot.

I picked the button with the '1' written on it and waited as the elevator music lulled me to a peace during the brief waiting. The doors opened with a quick **Ding** and I quickly took my suitcase off the floor.

My eyes looked around at the various tags and it took me some time to find Room 137. I blinked and waited by the door-handle as I imagined what kind of room I was going to be dealing with for those two days here.

I closed my eyes, took a breath and then… opened the door.

I waited few moments, walking just two steps inside and… then opened my eyes.

Blinking once and then twice, I looked around and the more I glanced around the more I felt my jaw dropping low and near the ground.

This wasn't the room Issei got in the Canon, this wasn't even what the two other member of the perverted trio got. This was a proper 5-stars room with large bedroom, balcony that gave to the back section of the hotel, which showed some pretty scenery, and a bathroom with Jacuzzi and large bathtub.

I was kind of touched at first, then I realized how much all of this had to have costed to be bought. It is never mentioned how much rich the Three Factions are, only that the 72 major Devil families were fairly well-endowed in their bank accounts and that Azazel had money to throw around.

But for me? Why waste this much money?

As I sighed, my head throbbing a little at the confusing scenario, I went to approach the bed and… noticed a small silver-plated suitcase and a folded piece of paper.

Dropping my luggage by the bed, I started to read the content of the letter and… I blinked.

The message seemed more of a rehearse of what Azazel had already told me to do about this mission of mine, only giving some extra details about my new teacher's current whereabouts (Room 131, just few moments away from my own room) and some extra warnings about approaching the duo.

I was certainly going to be careful around Vali, but whoever was currently keeping an eye couldn't be worse than him.

...Right?

By the time I arrived to read the last few words, I was given some explanation about the curious case sitting on the bed. Opening it as I continued to read the explanation, I was greeted by four items.

A pair of dark-green pants together with a shirt with the same shade of color, a light-brown cloak and a green mask that resembled much a Naruto's ANBU one.

This was supposed to be my disguise for my time here while I did my tasks, for the rest of the things I could do here, going around and get some pictures of the various monuments here in Kyoto I was given the permission to wander in my usual clothes.

Pretty interesting but also quite annoying as I had to have those clothes around. Thankfully I had brought some backpack in case of necessity and I could use that to solve the issue.

Few moments later, I decided to start to take out the various things within my luggage, making sure that I had them in places I could easily find them while there and could be easily put back once I had to go back in Kuoh.

The process lasted around an hour or two and I fell on the bed once I had finished the arduous process. Spending some time in a hotel was draining, but the intriguing prospect of being granted the super-deluxe room was enough to make the pain worth it.

My eyes slowly moved to the suitcase with the disguise and I blinked. Now that I had myself settled in, maybe it's time to face the music and brave the encounter with my future mentor.

I nodded to myself and slowly grasped the cloak away from the case. Changing in the disguised clothes quickly, I was already out of the room and slowly making my way towards where the two other members of Grigori were staying.

Once I was in front of the door, I knocked thrice and waited for some noise that could tell if they were or not inside the room. There was some things rustling then some heavy footsteps and soon I heard the door being unlocked.

I gulped nervously as my eyes widened behind my mask at the sight of the towering Baraqiel glancing me lazily. What made the sight quite dreadful wasn't his expression, nor his height.

It was the fact he was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and some boxers with small black hearts as a theme.

_Now isn't that the scariest sight ever?_

"You are… Hekishoku-kun." That was the nickname I had to take during this mission. Emerald, a reference to the shade of the mask I was donning.

"That is correct, Shinku-san." Baraqiel's name was 'Crimson', but I doubt that his cover is that much easy to keep up because of his size and known personality.

I was about to continue when the man make way for me to enter.

"Please, do come in." He stated calmly and I nodded, my mind putting an insane effort to hold myself from pointing out that terrifying sight. "By the way, Sougyoku should be ready soon. He is still in the bathroom."

I nodded again, this time walking to the large living room area that… showed that this Hotel was possibly the only 6-stars as per massive rooms.

Taking a seat in one of the long couch I patiently waited for some extra instructions and… some minutes of quiet passed.

I was lost in my own thoughts about what kind of missions they were supposedly doing here in Kyoto of all places, quickly dismissing the whole Yokai faction diplomacy as it did happen much later when the Three Factions were in need of get some more groups to band together against the Khaos Brigade.

I felt a strong hand grasp my shoulder so suddenly, eyes snapping wide open as I turned to see someone wearing the same outfit as mine, the colors being what differentiated the two of us as he had shades of blue on him.

This was Vali Lucifer, there wasn't any doubt about it. This was the host of Albion's soul and Sacred Gear Divine Dividing.

I nodded at him and I was glad to have a mask hide away my current hesitation in beeing this close to someone that could and would obliterate me at the first mistake I did.

"Sougyoku-san-" "_Make way._"

...What?

The couch was big enough to allow ten of him on the other side and-

Oh, he is _not_ trying to do what I think he is trying to do! He better not be trying to make some shitty attempt to pull some dominance.

Like heck I will allow it!

"There is a space here on the side-"

"I know, make way."

Okay, that's it. Diplomacy failed? Time to pull something he doesn't expect from someone from Grigori.

I had my arms crossed and close to my chest, I drew my sight away from him and stared forward.

"Are you going to move?"

I blinked and ignored him. His hand squeezing a little harder on my shoulder but failing to actually hurt me in the process.

My body was already accustomed in the arts of ignore pain like I was ignoring this moron.

There was a brief bout of silence from him, I could feel a glare that sadly did nothing on me. Even putting his Killing Intent didn't get me to budge out of my cozy seat, further irking him to continue with his childish attitude.

It was like dealing with a little kid, just with some superpower and teen body, unable to do much against me as we were in a… very peculiar situation. If Vali messed up with his pompous behavior right near to Baraqiel, he would-

"Fine."

My thoughts died down and I blinked at his sudden response. _What?_

Letting go of my shoulder, he slowly went to take a seat right beside me. I guess that _not_ being Issei did avoid me some extra animosity from him. He stood quiet for a while and for a moment I thought that this was going to be the end of the awkward powerplay that was our first interaction.

Yet he turned his head to look at me. "What's your name?" He asked with a somewhat more reserved tone.

I narrowed my eyes at that, sensing that he was guarding himself for some reason. Did I put him on the defensive there? I mean, how many did contest Vali during his tenure in Grigori, excluding Azazel and the other major leaders?

"I am Hekishoku-"

"Not your nickname." He interrupted for the third time and I was starting to get annoyed at this rude occurrence. "I mean your real name."

I gave him a tired look and sighed. "I am Hekishoku, _Sougyoku-san_."

He stopped asking, keeping quiet until Baraqiel was done with the bathroom.

For the first time in a long time, I was glad of having some silence rather than chat with my current company.

* * *

I was particularly surprised that my initial assessment regarding the chances of this mission being related to the Yokai faction were actually incorrect. Grigori had to keep some diplomatic ties with the group led by Yasaka as a mean to keep themselves honest to the world about their acceptance of everyone that shared their ideals and Yokai were what made the backbone of the group.

The negotiations with the current leader were a must to keep the relationship between Grigori and the Yokai Faction amiable and devoid of any issues in the future.

The large temple-like building that housed the Bureaucratic and Administrative wings of the 'Yokai Government' was quite imposing, the architecture reminding me much of the awe one would get by looking around and alone an ancient Greek temple from the inside.

Several beings having the classic denotations Japanese monsters had were wandering around, going for their own business while we were escorted by a Lamia through the intricate halls of the building.

The guide gave brief descriptions of the various areas of this place and didn't seem to be bothering much in trying to make a good job about this.

Baraqiel was the one leading, while Vali and I kept close behind as going too far would mean getting swarmed by the incoherent horde of people around us.

Few minutes later, we were left to wait in front of tall doors, the guide mentioning that their leader 'was still finishing the preparations and would be arriving as soon as she can'.

There was nothing where one could sit while spending the time waiting and thus we were forced to stay put like that.

I felt my shoulders sag tiredly as I boringly started to look around the particularly ample hallway we were waiting in. I was about to turn back on the door when my attention was taken by the tiny but continuous sound of someone tapping.

My eyes pinpointed the origin of the noise and I found myself staring at a small head peeking from around the corner.

Golden eyes were giving a dull and bored look as her golden mane ended up with two pointy fox ears. I blinked and I saw the small hand tapping at the wall now point right at me. I frowned and tilted my head on the side.

Kunou blinked and then gestured me to 'come here', her finger pointing on the ground near her with some insistence.

I looked back at the others and contemplated what I should do about this. Vali and Baraqiel were chatting quietly, ignoring my current actions and thus I felt a little more compelled to see what the little princess wanted.

From my basic understanding, Yasaka was going to arrive much later than planned and… I was getting bored myself. It wasn't like I was trying to do something irresponsible or anything but I guess if I went to see what the girl wanted wouldn't be an apocalyptic action.

Thus I started to walk towards her and she nodded and waited until I got closer. As I opened my mouth to ask what did she wanted from me, she turned around and started to walk even more away from the hallway, turning towards one of the doors and walking inside the room.

Did she want me to follow her inside? What was going on?

Against my best judgment I started to slowly follow her, peeking inside the room and… blinking in surprise at what I found inside.

This wasn't a mere room, but an open-roof small-sized courtyard.

There was a small fountain with a mini-lake, two trees and some bushes around. The little Kitsune was waiting there, giving me a long stare as I finally approached her and waiting for some explanation.

She opened her mouth and stated the reasoning behind what had just happened.

"Play with me."

I blinked. "What?"

"Play with me." The girl repeated with a frown. "I'm bored."

"And?"

"And you are too, Onii-san."

I felt a small smile forming behind my mask. "Oh? And what do you have in mind?"

She looked away, her stare directed at the floor. "I don't know."

"You don't… know?" I parroted a little bit confused.

"Not many play with me and..." Her golden eyes were back looking at me. "You will?"

Now that was playing a very dirty trick! I-I can't just-

_Dangit!_

"I could?"

The tails behind her started to waggle quicker than before even through her face gave no telltale sign of interest about my answer.

I waited few moments, then sighed as her cute reaction was starting to take a toll on my composure. "Fine. But I can't be there for a long time, I've to be present when Yasaka-san-"

"Okay!" She nodded with a small smile and I sighed. This was going to be an uneasy day, wasn't it?

But as I focused on this new problem of mine, I found myself dealing with a dilemma about it. Since Kunou didn't have any idea of what game to play… what was I supposed to do in a small place like this one?

I gave a quick look around and tried to see for any hint for something to do here and… then I turned my attention to the floor, or better at the small pebbles spread around the area.

I reached for the chibi blonde, the girl frowning as I showed her the small piece of stone I took while walking up to her and then I directed my attention to the small fountain.

Without saying anything, I took aim and threw the pebble right at the body of water.

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

The stone then plopped deep in the small lake and I turned my attention back to the distracted kitsune. The girl was staring at the lake, then she blinked back in reality and glanced at me.

"Can you beat that?" I said in a teasing tone and I saw her face twitching in a pout. She crouched a little to pick one of the stones and turned her attention back to the lake.

With a determined look, she took aim and prepared to throw. Just as I had expected, she threw the pebble way to high and-

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Swish**

**Plop!**

She huffed and picked another stone, trying once more. Her second try became fifth, then eight and then twelfth.

At that point I was sitting nearby as I watched this unfold, my attention interested at how she was slowly improving the more she tried.

By the time I noticed that she was getting a little unmotivated by this whole challenge I decided to give her a possible reward.

"If you get it this time..." Her head turned to stare at me. "I will show you my face."

She frowned, narrowing her eyes at the green thing covering my real face and she nodded energetically.

Kunou had long forfeited her composure as her childish self was showing the moment she prepared to throw this miracle shot. Differently from before, the pebble she took was placed in one of her tails and, surprisingly enough, she launched the small stone with remarkable precision.

**Swishswishswishswishswishswishswish-**

The skipping lasted for more than fifteen times as I lost count of the situation at the absurdity of the situation. I glanced back at Kunou but, much to my surprise, the girl was already on me.

"Show me your face, Oniichan!" She demanded while already pulling at the mask. "You promised."

I chuckled. "I did and-" My hands reached for my mask and she looked ready for the sight.

"Here it is." The mask came off and I waited few moments to gauge her reaction.

Fox ears twitched, the little girl's eyes widening as she continued to look at my face. For a moment I thought I had something weird on it as she was spending quite sometime staring at it.

Then she blinked, a little embarrassed blush painting her own petite face as she realized she had been staring for a while now. "O-Oniichan is… pretty."

I frowned. "Pretty? Don't you mean handsome?" I asked out of curiosity but… she smiled deviously.

"Oniichan is super-pretty."

My lips twitched a smile, failing me while I was trying to appear serious for a moment.

"You… are incredibly funny, aren't you?"

Her smile widened. "The funniest!"

What a scoundrel too!

But as I was about to continue that friendly bantering, I was distracted by another noise.

"He-hem." I blinked, putting my mask back on quickly, glad that the direction I was currently sitting gave my back to the door and hid my face away, allowing me to put my mask back on without ruining my cover.

I turned around and I was greeted by Baraqiel, Vali and… a very amused Yasaka.

The younger Kitsune peeked over my shoulder and smiled. "Mama!"

And while the little girl rushed to her parent I slowly got up from the ground and slowly walked towards the fellow members of Grigori. "Hekishoku, you ended up wandering and-"

"Oniichan was nice, Mama. He played with me at stone skipping and I beat him!" Kunou exclaimed in her mother's hold, the woman giggling at the energetic reaction of her daughter.

"Really, sweetie? And what do you think about him?" I blinked as my current boss stopped to listen to the exchange, which I followed too myself.

"He is nice, awesome and..." She got closer to the woman's ear and whispered something at her, her cheeks flaring a little as Yasaka giggled again.

"Oh my~ Now that is quite interesting."

Then the older blonde turned her attention at me. "I wish to thank you for playing with my little Kunou-chan. She doesn't have many friends and she tends to get bored while I am busy." She bowed her head a little. "Thank you."

I nodded at her words and we were soon directed inside the meeting room. Surprisingly enough, the woman seemed to be much more receptive of the request advanced by Baraqiel and the negotiations ended with good results.

As we were going away and back to the hotel, I saw Kunou staring from afar and I waved at her, the girl smiling and waving back until we were out of her sight.

Sighing happily at how things had turned out to be, I felt a large hand squeeze at my shoulder and I felt surprisingly meek in that exact moment. "We need to have a serious discussion about 'wandering around', Hekishoku-kun."

I gulped nervously, dreading that little event as we continued on our path back to the hotel.

_Vali looked at this situation from a safe distance, his interest piqued at what had happened but… further research was required before he was sure of what to make of this rebellious pawn in front of him._

* * *

**AN**

**So much happened in this chapter and so much will have to happen next chapter. This time it will be some fightin' tho!**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Ascandas****: Holy Hand Grenades, you say? Hmm… maybe. Also no, Nephilim are biologically impossible to exist. Mixing Light and Dark energies tends to… kill people trying to do that as they can't be synergized in normal circumstances.**

**Guest (Chapter ****7):**** I use the Reverse Call about your BS-calling! You deeply ignore the fact that Azazel can be tired out after 97 rounds of sparring and that close-quarters without a sword is his least favored field. The 'Falling' condition is something that has to do with the soul of the Fallen Angel, not the energy. It might seem fun but it can be logically debunked… plus I do remember that most of Grigori was thrown out of Heaven for having relationship with humans, dunno about Dohnaseek and some others tho. That alteration is fun but then it would get attacked by several logic explained about Angels and Fallen ones.**

**Night-Stryder****: I understand the concerns and I can assure you that the Harem I have in mind will be actually very small and… motivated. I know that harem isn't that much of a favorite thing to do, especially with sweet people like Asia, but the relationship between her and Issei is something that I wish to expand. About Rias… I have some plans about her. She will be a tad bit more complex and will have some sort of character's growth in this story. Something to remove the entitlement in a natural and smooth way.**


	9. Trouble Stalks Around

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 9****: Trouble Stalks Around**

* * *

Lunch was an awkward affair.

Once we reached back the hotel, Baraqiel decided to delay the lecture about what happened back few hours earlier, deeming more important that I got some time to reflect on my conduct while he thought about the situation and how to tackle it.

Vali was still wearing his mask, but I could see the smug exuding from the prick and the annoying fact was that I couldn't act upon it without worsening my current predicament. Still I enjoyed seeing him pause multiple times in my direction as he noticed that I hadn't ditched the mask to eat.

Bringing the small thing a little bit up, I freed some space for my mouth to receive the food and in the meantime keep my identity a secret to the current host of the Divine Dividing Sacred gear.

A minor victory in a sea of defeat, but one that was surprisingly mirthful since it was Vali on the losing side. I wonder how much time will pass before he will react more aggressively over my mysterious anonymity and if it will happen with someone strong enough to keep him away from me.

**Hopefully **someone strong enough will be there when that happens…

It was around early afternoon that we were back to the room that Baraqiel and Vali shared, the leader of this diplomatic mission sitting right on the couch across the one I was sitting in, giving me a somewhat disappointed expression.

"You risked big time with that action of yours. While you ended up scoring some favorable points with Yasaka-san, you failed in thinking that it could have ended up in a trap."

I kept quiet as the introductory words for the lecturing started to reach my ears, knowing that my defense, at least the one based on the fact I shouldn't be knowing about both Kunou and Yasaka beforehand, was feeble at best.

I was glad that Vali had deemed the situation unworthy of his attention and the teen had retired to his bedroom, leaving me to deal with the Fallen Angel alone.

The only thing I could do at the moment was nod at him and reply in agreement to his statements.

"Yes, sir-"

"You risked your life by doing what you did. You were lucky enough that it ended as sweet as it was or we would have ended up dealing with the worst diplomatic scandal since the 80s."

"Yes-" I blinked at the '80s scandal' trying to understand what it was about. "sir."

He sighed tiredly. "Azazel told me that you were a particular case, both about your potential and your quirky sense of throwing yourself at any possible danger." His voice gave off some minor agreement to the description given by the Governor-General of Grigori.

I flinched but nodded. "Yes-"

"And stop agreeing to everything I am saying, young man." Baraqiel finally interjected, crossing his arms close to his chest. "And remove your mask, I wish to see to whom I am speaking and possibly going to train."

I frowned, some hesitation washing over my hands as I slowly reached for my mask and let it fall on my lap.

The man blinked, seemed to be thinking of something and then… smiled.

"You are a student at Kuoh Academy, aren't you?"

_Please don't._

"I am." I know where this was going to end up with. The man was going to ask about-

"Do you perhaps know someone that goes by… Akeno Himejima?"

...Shit.

"I… do?"

He shifted a little in his seat at my answer, the smile still there.

"Can you tell me how… she is going? Any friends or-" He stopped a brief moment in his questioning but I still replied.

"She is close friend to a fellow classmate, her name is Rias Gremory."

As the redhead's name left my lips, Baraqiel shifted once more.

"And… do you think it's genuine, their friendship-"

"They did seem genuinely friendly with each other. I am quite sure their isn't any… strange stuff going on." My answer further relieved the man, but he seemed ready to ask some more.

"You seem to know quite a lot about my daughter."

I tensed a little at the strange vibe in those last few words, feeling the vindictive tone that only a very 'threatened' father would feel over a boy being 'close' to his daughter.

I sighed while making a small prayer to avoid any unnecessary beatings from the clearly suspicious man. "I… she is your daughter, sir-"

"Wrong answer, kid. Please do respond to my question."

Gulping nervously, I nodded. "I- We are in the same classroom, sir. But we never spoke to each other." I said with some minor stuttering.

This wasn't certainly the best moment to stutter but the nervousness was making me fail this all.

"But you know about her situation with the Gremory family-"

"Only that she is part of whatever group Rias has. As part of the Student Council I have to know about specific details about the Clubs in the Academy and… not to appear to be classist, but those two hardly fit the bill for people enjoying Occult Research."

The Fallen Angel gave a wider smile. "I admit that the cover would be… difficult to keep up but you are the only one that figured it out, aren't you?"

I opened my mouth, ready to rebuke that idea and… yet I found myself questioning this a little bit.

As dumb as it might sound, and I am referring to the 'Glasses trick of Clark Kent' kind of dumb, the Club was enjoying relative anonymity as no one in particular questioned the curious choice for the two 'Ojou-samas' of Kuoh Academy to pick the ORC.

"I remember someone saying 'If a plan is stupid but works, then it isn't stupid' and I find myself agreeing that this is indeed the situation, young man."

...I think I got Murphy'd here-

"I think his name was… Murphy?" Baraqiel added with a brief chuckle.

Oh no, I really got Murphy'd!

"Ah, as much I would enjoy to learn more about my daughter, I think we should focus on your punishment." The man reminded the main focus of this discussion much to my dismay. "I think letting you go scot-free would be detrimental for my lecture and… I just have the appropriate idea for your case."

His hand reached for one of his pants' pockets and he pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"I wanted to use some of the time here at Kyoto to buy some expensive materials Shemhazai asked me to get… but since you caused this little chaotic mess-"

"I have to do it myself?" I questioned and deflated as the man nodded.

"That is correct." He said with a small smile. "I want you to go to the addresses written down in the paper and get the ingredients on the list."

I looked at the paper and frowned at the not-so-short list the man was talking about. I saw him pull out from the same pocket a curiously large bag containing… money? "This is the money to buy everything- and I will know if something is missing off from the spare."

I nodded quickly and stood up from the couch.

"By the way." The Fallen Angel stated. "Try to not cause anything that could jeopardize our current mission here, Hoitsu-kun."

I stopped a moment to give him a full wide-eyed look, surprised that he would know about my name without me telling him and- then I remembered that Azazel could have told him prior.

With another quick nod, I went to door and left the room, prepared to have quite the handful late day on my hands.

* * *

Four hours.

I had two full bags of various ingredients taking most of my hands as I finished my long errand around the former capital of Japan.

I do remember seeing some Yokai-only quarter when we went to visit the headquarters of the Yokai Faction, but the ones I had to see during this task were particularly different from the previous ones.

Looking like slums, I saw some unkind faces around there and the Yokai living there seemed to be particularly hostile to strangers. Sensing this much negativity, I was quick to finish the various trips around those sections of the city to avoid any unneeded brawl on my hands.

I sighed in relief once I was on my way back to the hotel, hopefully ready to get some well-deserved rest from the ordeals I had to face this long day.

As I turned one of the corners that I had to take to return to the building, I found a small golden furball crash onto my chest, claws surprisingly not drawing blood as those straddled on my shirt.

I blinked at the frantic shaking of the little thing and then-

"N-Niichan, help!" It was Kunou's voice and as my eyes widened in recognition, I also noticed the twenty or something robed figures rushing towards me, some magical circles forming in front of them.

Fucking magicians!

I quickly turned around and rushed towards one of the alleys, managing to reach the sharp corner before any of the magical missiles reached for me. Without stopping a single moment, I started to laid up my usual quantity of traps to create some advantage.

The moment I left the alley to race through the mostly empty street, I felt the first explosion going off and then several others of the same intensity following closely. The** Light Mines** were doing their bombastic job in keeping the pursuers a little busy as I continued to make some distance from them. Yet I could feel footsteps still close to my current pacing and, without thinking much about it, I turned my attention at the various closed stands on the side, producing several seals with the **Silver Lining **combination to pull the various wooden structures towards the center of the street.

At the sound of loud crashing and people shrieking in pain, I knew that I had taken down some of the bastards down. The relief from those two quick victories was seriously crushed by the time I reached the middle of a large intersection.

Front, left and right were obstructed by ten robed figures each side, I noticed some people in the roof ready to strike too and some footsteps still approaching from behind.

We were encircled and I grimaced the situation as it was.

"Your potential is impressive, brother of magic." A feminine voice stated by the front of the main force of magicians. "Let the girl go and we will accept you in our glorious group of-"

"Pass." The cloaked woman stopped, a brief pause before sighing at my word of defiance.

"Think of the heights you could achieve-"

"Not interested." I rebuked again, sighing in annoyance as I felt the need to scratch my head but couldn't because I had my hands still busy with the bags. Kunou shifted a little closer to my chest, trying to get the furthest away from the band of grunts around us.

"Your death wish then..." I saw several circles forming, but as the woman preached some recruitment pep talk I had noticed the best escape for this situation.

"Or your failure!" A small sphere of light appeared up above my head and a sudden flash of white engulfed the area. Several spells were launched, some explosives to vindicate those that had fallen under my merciless trapping skills and those who sent off stunners to avoid harming the Yokai attached to my shirt.

Sadly all of those reached the ground, either exploding in loud noises or dispelling at the lack of an acceptable target and, the moment the blinding light gave away to reveal the aftermath of their bombardment.

Dust was still hovering around, but there was nothing that remained of 'me' or of the little furball that was sticking close and away from the fiends.

Surprise was replaced by fear at the possibility of having killed the offspring of Yasaka, ushering the large group of magicians to look around the area… missing completely the open manhole that led up to the sewers area of the large street section, coated by shadow camouflaged as simple dirt.

Sitting on the cemented ground by the end of the ladder, I had long dropped the bags on the floor to comfort Kunou as she trembled in my hold. That has been way too close of a call to not be at least a bit scared from it.

The **Flash Bomb** had been a bet that not even I had been sure of its effectiveness but… it worked.

"I'm here, Ku-chan." I continued to comfort her, her whining in her foxy form continuing for a little while, then she slowly melted in my arms and started to change.

Fox ears and tails still present, Kunou continued to snuggle her face closer to my chest, sobbing a little at the scary ordeal. One of my hands shifted to her head, patting carefully the distraught girl as she continued to cry a little more.

"N-Niichan- Th-That was-"

"I know, Ku-chan. I am here." She nodded and shifted a little more in my hold, now sniffling as she was slowly get hold of her emotions.

I waited few more moments and I saw her head slowly move up, to look at me. "T-Thank you, Niichan."

Snorting with a small smile plastered on my face I nodded at her, continuing to pat her. "You are welcome."

As I was about to stand up from the ground and plan out the path I had to follow to reach either the hotel or Kunou's mansion, I felt a strong presence slowly descending from the ladder nearby.

_She _was slowly falling, her Kimono conveniently censuring her exposed bits, leaving just her legs and cleavage to show in that lewd but dangerously perverted display of her body.

She had her golden eyes fixed on my frame, her black cat ears, the same color as her hair, twitching as she finally landed.

Kuroka was smiling at the fact I had paled several shades of white during her descent, almost giggling at the reaction she was getting from me.

"Ara, Ara, I suppose I could appear quite… shocking, nya~?"

**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**

Why does she have the Jojo's menacing aura within herself!?

Shivering a little, I got up from the floor with the bags busying my hands once more, Kunou shifting back to her fox form started to grasp at my ruined shirt once more.

"Y-You are Kuroka, the Nekoshou." My words caused her to smile and she nodded.

"And you are a little boy from Grigori, nya. I wonder, how much did you train to get the dummies up above this much disorganized?" She took a step forward, I took one back.

"Very little. I-I am actually surprised they are so much dumb, a-actually."

"Oh really~?" She giggled, taking another step forward and prompting me to take another back in return. "Then you have to be quite the special case, aren't nya?"

"I guess… it's time to use the super secret technique of the Joestar family-" Just as I was about to finish that glorious sentence, I was stopped by a new round of giggled from the young woman.

"You mean yelling 'Nigerundayo' and running away like a fool?"

I froze on the spot and frowned. "Y-You know about-"

"Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? I do know my memes, nya~." Kuroka interjected again, her smile widening even more.

T-This is a terrible disaster! My plans do come from memeing around and… there was nothing else to do.

"T-Then I will be going, yes?!"

She frowned, her smile giving off some predator-like's glint. "Oh, but I thought we were so much fun here talking about Jojo."

"I-I am but- Priorities!" I swiftly turned around and started to use the blasted shadows created by the dim lights in this section of the sewers to boost my pace. "Nigerundayo!"

A loud giggle followed and I felt the pressure of being chased by someone more powerful than me and capable to discern what my brain was thinking starting to get incredibly intense, beyond anything I had faced before.

"Oh? You're running away from me?" She started to quote, picking up even more speed in the process. "Instead of approaching, you are escaping from me, nya~!?"

"I-I can't live a long life if I don't run away from your deadly beauty." Then I shook my head as I remembered this wasn't the moment to 'Jojo' around. "A-Also could you not distract me with that?!"

"But why? I am having such fun now, with this little chase." She stated with some genuine amusement dripping from every words. "Let's get close and personal~!"

I felt it. A sudden jump from the cat-girl to reach out for me and, in a split second, I formed some Silver Lining to pull her on the side and away from succeeding with her move.

She yelped at the sudden bout pain as the light ropes took her by her leg and threw her away, being that the strings were made by holy energy and that she was a Devil.

My quick-thinking granted me some extra time and distance, enough to understand that trying to outrun the girl here wouldn't do. As I felt her return to the pursuit, I dropped another** Flash Bomb **rushing even faster and letting my legs burn a little more as I suddenly jumped through the closest manhole, hoping to end up in an empty street.

I sighed in relief as my prayers ended up realizing, the desolate street giving me the chance of seeking a hiding spot from the current chaser on our trail and, without thinking much about it, I dived to the closest alley and went to hide behind the two dumpsters sitting there.

I kept quiet for a while, trying to see if we were still being chased or not. Minutes of silence passed, Kunou looking uncertain at moments but accepting to keep quiet since this wasn't a simple situation and…

Yep, she lost us. I sighed in relief the moment I confirmed this and decided to let the girl return back to her human form. The blonde smiled a little but looked still quite shaking by the ordeal.

"T-That was genuinely the scariest of chases, Ku-chan."

She nodded and as I got up myself from the floor she gave me another hug. "_Super scary._" Her voice was muffled as her face was pressed on my chest and I nodded at her.

Without wasting further time, I went to take out my phone and contact Baraqiel.

The man picked up the call almost instantly. "_Where are you, Hoitsu! There has been an assault against Yasaka and her daughter is missing-"_

I flinched at the angry and worried tone but interjected quickly. "Sir, Kunou-chan is here with me. She found me while I was ending my errands and we managed to escape the pursuers."

There was a pause. "_Did any of you get hurt in the process?_"

"I am just a little drained as I had to unleash some spells while Kunou-chan is a little tired and dizzy from it all."

She nodded through the hug and I sighed. "Sir, should we be going somewhere or-"

"_I will be contacting Yasaka-san first. She should be able to send loyal men to pick you both up._"

"Understood-"

"_You truly are a trouble magnet, brat." _The Fallen Angel sighed tiredly. "_But I guess this time it did some real good._"

"I guess too..."

Kunou smiled a little as she continued with the embrace.

_**Rather the affectionate girl, isn't she?**_

* * *

We were all back to Yasaka's main office, the mother keeping her little girl close as she continued to thank me profusely for saving her daughter.

Kunou smiled in the woman's hold but would steal some glances in my general direction as this situation continued to unfold.

Baraqiel was sitting nearby and listening to Yasaka's praises about my intervention, seemingly less inclined than before to condemn my 'picking fights' where I went.

Of course some explanations about the happenings that led to our escape from the large force of magician was provided and both the woman and the Fallen Angels found some detail note-worthy. The Magician that had tried to make me surrender the girl spoke of some 'glorious reward' if I joined them and the fact that Kuroka, a Stray Devil Nekoshou, seemed to collaborating with this organized group detached from the Magic Council was… concerning.

This instance was going to come and bite the Khaos Brigade in the ass when they will have to reveal themselves as now their element of surprise was partly ruined and with this failure both Grigori and the Yokai Faction was going to investigate who sent this assault force.

Yet what truly caught my attention and I did notice only by the time the two leaders discussed about this situation was that… the Khaos Brigade wasn't supposed to attack this early on in the story.

There were some minor detection of large groups massing up, but nothing that suggested to some mysterious faction starting to create.

This wasn't Canon, to risk this early on their cover wasn't something that the original timeline had and… I knew that this was the most meaningful of the details. Something had caused the Khaos Brigade to attack early on and try to force Yasaka to join them.

It was strange and, if I have to be honest, quite a worry. Many theories flowed in my brain and only few managed to get some logical backing, ranging from Le Fay being able to use Clairvoyance and foresee any of my interventions to Ophis deciding to be much more aggressive with her plans for some reason.

All of this still lacked substantial evidence, but it was something I had to study once I returned back to Kuoh.

"-But let us return to you, Hekishoku-san." The older Kitsune stated. "Could you please come a little closer. I would need to ask you something."

I frowned at the request and glanced at Baraqiel, the man nodding a silent acceptance at the request thus prompting me to approach the gorgeous blonde few steps more.

She smiled and gave me a long studying look about my face before frowning. "Could you… remove your mask? I would like to see the 'pretty' face of Kunou's savior."

I blinked and glanced at the little girl, the younger Kitsune blushing and looking away as she knew that now the little 'secret' she had spoiled to her mom was now coming to bite back at her in terms of embarrassment.

I tried to look at the Fallen Angel but the man preceded me. "Do it, Hekishoku-kun."

Nodding, I slowly removed the mask and waited for some reaction from the woman.

Her eyes widened a little, a little surprise painted in her face, then she smiled and glanced at her daughter and let out a brief giggle. "I think Kunou-chan meant 'handsome', not 'super-pretty'."

I nodded quickly. "I told her that but-"

"Niichan is super-pretty." The little blonde reiterated with absolute conviction drawing another giggle from her mother.

"Oh? What an interesting judgment. But… I guess Kunou-chan is sticking to her idea of you as a… 'super-pretty' individual."

I didn't restrain the small groan at that, surrendering to the idea that this was going to be a thing from now on.

"But the reason I wished to speak to you face to face is more about rewarding you for your service and your intervention in saving my child."

I sighed loudly and held my hands up, causing the woman to pause. "I have to refuse on some good reasons, Yasaka-san."

She blinked and gave a confused look. "Could you elaborate, Hekishoku-kun?"

A bit surprised at the honorific, I still managed to reply. "Saving Kunou-chan was done out of genuine care for her, not out of a promised reward, and hearing the fact I am being rewarded by it is… wrong."

I continued. "While I understand that you wish to thank me for protecting your daughter, it is also true that the real reward in this situation is there and perfectly visible."

I turned my attention to Kunou, the girl's eyes a little wide open at my speech. "Kunou-chan is safe and sound, that is what is my current reward to my service."

There was a long pause of silence and then the woman sighed in genuine relief. "That was a show of honesty that I find quite refreshing after so much time of hearing sweetened lies." Yasaka smiled as she said this. "You are quite wise for someone your age, Hekishoku-kun, and I think Grigori did gained someone worth of note with you."

I nodded at the flattering compliments.

"Still, I wish to ask you something since you proved to be someone that truly cares for my daughter's well-being." The older blonde stated. "A favor that is born out of necessity and worry for the safety of Kunou-chan."

...What?

"With this assault from unknown forces, it has become clear that our current level of security is inadequate to protect both me and my child and..." She looked tense at giving out the request but, after some brief moments of silence, she spoke clearly her intentions. "I wish that you could take my daughter with you back in Kuoh Town."

… "W-What?"

How did she knew that I was from Kuoh? I never stated anywhere near her or any of her servants that I was from the city and-

"Azazel-san contacted me just an hour ago, presenting me with a more detailed report of your… current identity."

_Goddammit, that bastard is ruining my chances of keeping myself from dealing with everyone's power-plays!_

"I will not divulge the information I gained, as the Governor-General has gained from me the utmost secrecy about it. Still, I wish for you to consider the request as it is important for me to know I can have someone trustworthy to keep my baby-girl away from danger."

Kunou blushed a storm and snapped her attention at her parent, looking aggravated by the embarrassing nickname. "M-Mama!?"

"You are going to be away from me for a long time. Can you allow your mama to tease you a little bit before letting you go?"

The little girl flinched at the woman's blunt question and then nodded silently much to her mother's amusement. "Thank you, sweetie."

The younger blonde groaned, causing the woman to giggle in response before she returned to look at me.

"I wish to know your answer, Hekishoku-san."

I hesitated a little as… taking care of someone while keeping her identity secret from those around the school…

But then again what alternative did Yasaka have if I had refused?

Ignoring the logical choice of saying 'no' to protect my own identity, I knew that I would end up literally confirm that what I just said until now about Kunou was a lie and it wasn't.

Even through I knew her for so little, I think that after facing some deadly situations together, the kitsune and I bonded well enough for me to call her a good friend at least.

So, going against my best intent of keeping myself safe and hidden from Hell and Heaven, and making my life more difficult than before, I nodded at the woman.

"I… accept, Yasaka-san."

The girl beamed at the reply, while the woman's smile widened. "Thank you, Hekishoku-kun."

As I nodded at her, I found Kunou approaching me with a small set of key. I frowned and looked back at the woman.

"Azazel-san also wished to say that the little request of yours has been accepted from doing such a good job and that your new home is now ready."

...Ah.

I think I need to make a brief explanation, I guess.

Before leaving for Kyoto, I decided to ask a big favor to the leader of Grigori regarding my current lifestyle.

Knowing that my life was going to take a more dangerous turn now that I was in his organization, I didn't need to endanger my new parents with this situations and, knowing that getting out of the house with normal means was nigh-impossible as there would have been some adamant resistance from father and mother, the man agreed to use some mind-trick and put some fake memories in them about a tense but acceptable family meeting that saw me gaining some independence from them.

Was it cruel? Yes.

Was it unorthodox? Incredibly so.

But was it a necessity? Yes.

Differently from Issei, I couldn't make full use of Grigori's protection to keep my parents safe and, as much as I loved my cramped room back in their house, I needed much more space to deal with training and studying other arcane arts.

An extreme decision to prevent an extreme situation from exploding right on my face.

I took the keys and patted Kunou's head, the girl smiling and closing her eyes as she accepted the simple gesture.

_**The return home was surely going to be… quite hectic.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Ku-chan joins Kuoh Academy, the 2nd year of middle high school!**

**I know that the last bit about leaving the parents' house might sound a little forced and shady but there are big reasons for this, much bigger than the ones the MC gave at the end.**

**Kuroka is a memester and I will not apologize for that one. I just have this little head-canon of her discovering the internet while on the run from Hell and just got addicted to some meme-y stuff. Will it be to a cringe or crackish level? Nyaope!**

**P.S. Vali wasn't in the room to see MC's face and… that is going to be a gag for a long time. Hekishoku will now be a thing on for Grigori missions and other stuff from now.**

**Also almost 300 followers in Fanfic, GAH! THIS IS AMAZING!**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Night-Stryder****: Something like that might happen in some distant future.**

**User may be a smug prick****: I do know of the legendary King Arthur's return back home. Monty Python is one of my fave comic actors.**

**Ascandas****: That is next chapter, but yes.**


	10. Double Trouble

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 10****: Double Trouble**

* * *

Waking up to the ceiling of my new room was… strange.

It was a curious sensation that was a mix of positive surprise in finding something unusual but also pleasant because it was a quick reminder that now I had some more liberty in my own home.

The place Azazel had bought was immense, not mansion-sized, but still quite decent for a house accommodating three individuals at once.

Indeed, I wasn't the only occupant of my new house, Baraqiel having picked a room on the first floor, leaving the relatively large bedroom to me and the modestly-sized room with smaller bed to Kunou-chan.

The girl accepted her new living quarters, deeming them to be almost similar to what she had back home but there was an adorable twist at it. As she first entered the room to study better the features of the European-styled room, the Blonde stopped to frown at the bed.

From my understanding she had a particularly comfy futon as bed since she decided to have her own room, thus seeing the 'contraption' in front of her was kind confusing for her and amusing for me.

I could remember her go through some testing about the material, coziness and the quality of the bed. The last results being a small smile as she literally melted by lying on it, her head receiving some attention by the soft pillow she had.

Blinking back to the present, I found myself stuck in bed, not because of craving for some more rest but… because of a small weight the night before wasn't there. Turning my eyes down, I stared at the twitching fox ears visible from my current disposition.

It would seem like… Kunou had decided to invite herself in my bed while I was sleeping and, much to my relief, she had kept her new Pjs on through the whole situation. She had been a little dismayed by the fact she had to adopt the new set of clothes, but a mere glance at her former 'nightgown' was enough to prompt me to pick her some new clothing before we left Kyoto.

I still had some money on me for the trip and the shopping spree was positively short and quick, picking her five more sets of clothes and her Kuoh Academy uniform. It was the uniform that actually piqued her interest the most, the girl finding exotic the flamboyant style it has, causing her to spend more time proving it around.

Sighing in her sleep, I held back a snore as I found my brain fully awake and ready to deal with the new routine of my life in Kuoh.

The girl had her head slouched on my chest, her partly open mouth letting out some brief and adorable snoring as a little trail of drool stretched down to my sleeping shirt, staining it just a little bit.

Blinking just once, I slowly let my hand wander out of its resting position and hover over the waiting head and then… started to softly caress her top.

She tensed a little, her snoring ceasing almost immediately as she stirred a little more and… one eyes opened to stare right at me.

Her lips, at first set in a neutral thin line, arched up in a smile and the girl nuzzled her head a little more on my chest. "Niichan… good morning-" Kunou paused just a moment to her greeting as she yawned cutely and I almost let out a 'Aww' at that sight.

"Good morning, Ku-chan." I stated softly, knowing that using my usual volume might cause some annoying effects on someone still waking up. "It's time for breakfast."

Her eyes lightened at the word related to some delicious food and, slowly and calmly, she started to shift away from the little cuddling, reaching one of the ends of the bed to get out of it. I followed her pattern on the opposite side and, without missing a beat, turned to walk towards the only door of the bedroom.

There was some feeble light coming from the windows of the hallway that led to the living room and Kunou softly tip-toed forward as I slowly followed her to the kitchen area.

The kitchen was quite big but easy to understand where everything was and I guess that is what is the most important for that room in particular. As we entered the zone, we were greeted by Baraqiel.

The Fallen Angel was sitting on one of the few stools, drinking from a particularly large mug of coffee while reading some newspapers from Kuoh Local.

He glanced from the paper and greeted starting with a small nod. "Good morning, Hoitsu-kun, Kunou-chan."

The girl nodded quickly, smiling his way as she hopped on another stool, while I moved towards the cooking area to begin to fix something for breakfast. Twenty minutes of careful tinkering around resulted in two steamy cups of chocolate milk and three cookies for each of us.

The blonde blinked at the content of her little mug but her nose picked up quickly its sweet scent. Eyes going wide open, Kunou didn't waste any time in dipping one of the cookie in the liquid and then bring it to her lips.

Her slow munching turned swift almost instantly and the cookies were decimated very quickly. The rest of the milk she drunk from a straw I had offered her and she gave a satisfied smile once she was done with it.

"That was so good, Niichan!" I chuckled at her energetic reaction and nodded myself as I did manage to get Ma's recipe to utter perfection.

Once I had cleaned up the three empty mug, Kunou and I reached for the two close bathrooms to prepare ourselves for the day.

I was certain the girl would have ended up needing some help with some of the things within the particularly modern bathroom, thus I rapidly went through my usual cleaning routine in my usual neck-breaking record of fifteen minutes.

By the time I was done and freshly donning my uniform, I was shocked by the sight of a giggling Kunou already out of the bathroom she had been using with her own uniform on as she twirled around to test it once more. She was smiling while doing so and her smile widened when she caught glimpse of my presence.

"Niichan, you're ready!" I nodded at her and couldn't help myself but smile at her bubbly excitement. I guess that is the reaction of someone as sheltered as her having the chance to see what a school looked like and befriend fellow teens her age.

"I am." I stated with a warm voice. "I guess we could go… now, actually."

She nodded and started to reach for the door but stopped right in front of it and frowned at the fact I wasn't following her quickly. Her head turned to see why I was being this slow and her eyes widened in realization and embarrassment at the fact she had almost forgotten about her school bag.

I was holding it in my hand as I had my own bag already on my shoulders. "There." I decided to not tease her forgetfulness and she nodded thankful at that attitude.

Having already settled with Baraqiel the night before that the training sessions were going to happen after school, we only waved at him and bid him a good day as we ventured inside the house.

The warm breeze of April hit us moderately, just enough to make us notice the difference between the indoor and the outdoor. The blonde glanced back with a nervous smile and I sighed as I went to take her small hand into mine. "C'mon, we also need to meet up with someone along the way."

She frowned at those words but slowly accepted this little situation.

Our walk took some minutes before we reached my usual meeting area where I would find Asia and Issei as the house was set in the outskirts of Kuoh Town. Just as we stopped for me to give a look around I heard familiar footsteps approaching.

"Senpai!"

I looked around to find where the loud call came from and I saw a familiar former nun approaching, a smile plastered on her face while Issei tried and failed to keep up with the surprisingly fast foreign girl.

"Senpai, you are back!" I nodded and as I opened my mouth to greet my kohais, I found Kunou slowly hide behind me. Frowning, I glanced her way with a confused expression and the younger girl glanced right back with a shy look.

"Kunou-chan, Asia-chan is a good friend of mine and she is as kind as your mom. Can you give her a chance?"

I could see the former nun blushing a little at the comparison and the younger blonde blinked with some hesitation before actually stepping out of my shadow and give a short bow at the older female. "I-I am Kunou Kurama, nice to meet you, A-Asia-san."

The human girl nodded with a comforting smile directed at the Kitsune-in-disguise. "My name is Asia Argento and it's nice to meet you too, Kunou-chan and… you can call me Asia-chan if you want-"

"S-Senpai." The sudden appearance of a wild Issei Hyoudou caused the younger blonde to back away a little and, before the brunet could react upon the little girl by my side with some wrongly-worded comment, I spoke before he could. "This is Kunou-chan, Ise. She will be my ward during her stay at Kuoh Academy and you will not say anything inappropriate."

The stern and quick threat seemed to hit home as the now nervous-looking boy nodded sheepishly. "S-Sorry, senpai. I wasn't expecting you to return with someone from your trip."

"It was a surprise for me too but..." I patted Kunou's head much to the girl's delight. "Kunou's mom needed someone to keep her safe and away from home. There had been some… unpleasant situations there."

"Oh..." Asia gave a sympathetic look to the younger blonde, to which the girl reacted with a small blush appearing on her cheeks.

"N-Niichan protected me." Kunou said with a minor stuttering, recovering from the minor embarrassment. "There were some bad people trying to kidnap me a-and Niichan tricked them."

"Tricked them?"

"Just fooled some eighty magicians with some simple spell, nothing to be flaunting about-"

"_You faced 80 what?_"

I groaned at the Hyoudou's explosive reaction to this fact. "Nothing noteworthy, I just escaped them with an astute plan and… that's all."

The little kitsune glanced up at me with a questioning look and I did realize that I didn't say anything about the 'Kuroka' situation. I shook my head at her and she nodded in silent acceptance of not saying anything about her.

"So Kunou-chan will be joining us at Kuoh Academy?" Issei asked, having recovered a little from the earlier shock and noticing the girl's uniform.

"That is correct. She will join the 2nd year of the Middle School section." After this the discussion moved to easier topic to speak about, like the souvenir gathering of the last day at Kyoto and the photos I had taken of the various shrines and temples around there that I promised to show to Asia once she had some free time from her Club.

* * *

"This is quite the interesting letter you brought me, Hoitsu-san."

Sona's tone was soft as she was distracted by the content of the letter Yasaka asked me to give to her to show my legitimate claim as the current guardian of Kunou while she was in Kuoh Town.

The bespectacled, short-haired girl looked lost in her thoughts some moments during the reading, possibly because some of the details within the letter could be detailing about the 'unique traits' of the little blonde sitting on the chair beside mine and her identity.

The leader of the Yokai Faction had been adamant in repeating that I was barely mentioned and the few sections about me were bare at best and lacking any possible correlation to what had transpired in Kyoto.

While the events had happened just two days ago, the news had reached far and wide through the entire supernatural world. The attack on the Yokai was something that sparked some outrage at the attackers and formal pity to the suffering community.

The heiress of the Sitri clan sighed as she folded the paper and gave me a confused look. "Hoitsu-san, how did you exactly encounter Yasaka-san and her daughter."

I blinked at the question but kept smiling. I was ready for this kind of questions and thus I had rehearsed them with Kunou before this situation.

"I actually met Kunou first at the Maruyama Park. She was playing alone while I was waiting for my boss to arrive and she asked if I could play with her-"

"Wait, you mean to tell me that Kunou-san asked you this?" Sona interrupted and then turned at the young blonde. The younger girl nodded and the president sighed. "Please, continue then."

"As I was saying, she asked me to play with her and we ended up spending some time playing stone skipping. By the time her mom reached us for the park, she thanked me for keeping Kunou occupied and safe."

"I beat Niichan." The blonde added with a big smile, ignoring or maybe gloating at the brief frown I threw at her.

"She is incredibly good at stone skipping..." I admitted and the kitsune-in-disguise giggled at my words, Sona watching the scene with a neutral glance.

"But why did Yasaka-san give you guardianship over Kunou-san, did it happen at the park or-"

"Actually it happened few hours later. A little before dinner if I have to be honest." I stated some half-truth, finding it quite the best way to deal with this predicament. "She managed to contact me and ask if I could come with haste as there was some matter of importance to discuss."

"And you didn't find anything suspicious about this sudden request from someone you barely knew about?"

Her words were legitimate as generally that wasn't a smart thing to do and certainly not something that I would normally go with in a normal situation.

"When I first met Yasaka-san I found that she was incredibly and genuinely honest with her words, especially around her daughter. The sense of worry and distraught sounded real and thus I decided to put some trust on the situation."

"And she explained to you about the need of you taking the guardianship for Kunou-san." The short-haired girl remarked and I nodded at it.

"She said that there were some people trying to cause some problems to them and she feared that Kunou could get targeted for it. Thus she asked me to keep her away from Kyoto until she was done with her education here." I finished with a small smile.

"That sounds quite the responsibility." Sona muttered looking at the folded paper. "Did it cause any problems with your parents?"

There was a minor hesitant pause from me, then I sighed. "I… am not living with my parents anymore."

…

"Could you elaborate that? I think some context should shed some light over what you just said."

I nodded at Sona's request. "It's been few months now that I've been contemplating over going living alone and, after accumulating enough money I managed to get a proper house in the outskirts of Kuoh Town."

"Any… particular reason why you decided to leave?" There was some concern in her voice but I smiled once more in a reassuring way.

"Our opinions about my future were clashing. Father wanted me to follow his steps in becoming a surgeon but I wished to take a different career path, I am still deciding but I am fairly sure it will not be related to medicine." I explained as honestly as I could. There was that aspiration that both mother and father wanted me to become and upstanding citizen like them, but I found going down the path of surgeon to… not be me.

I can't explain fully but I didn't feel like that was going to be the correct vocation for me, especially with the difficult road I am walking through right now in the supernatural world.

"Then I guess you will need to change your current address and..." Sona paused just a moment. "If you need some help, I can offer some support. Don't hesitate in asking."

I nodded at her kind offer. "Thank you, Sona-san. I'm always happy to know that you worry for me and the others."

She blushed at my words and nodded. "O-Of course. It's my duty as president of the Student Council." She sighed and then turned to the blonde. "I suppose you will escort Kunou-san to her classroom now, Hoitsu-san."

I nodded. "That is the plan, then I will be on my way for my own class."

"Then I leave you to your duty, I think we have spared enough time on the topic and I don't wish to have you go late for lessons."

I nodded again and, bidding the Sitri heiress a 'good day', Kunou and I started to make our way to the Middle School section of the Academy.

"Sona-san is… very cool." The kitsune commented calmly and I nodded.

"She is very professional and serious, but also very kind and flexible when the situation requires it."

The blonde nodded at my elaboration and she smiled. "School seems fun."

"I guess it could be if you can manage the lessons and the homework." I reminded her. "But I know that you will have not many problems at it."

As our brief chat continued, I felt footsteps approaching from behind.

"Good morning, senp-_ai._" I turned to see whom was greeting me and I saw Koneko staring questioningly at the younger girl by my side. Kunou turned to and looked quite confused at being stared with such intensity.

"Oh, Koneko-san, good morning to you too." I turned to the little blonde. "This is Kunou-chan and she is joining Kuoh Academy today as a student in Middle School."

At hearing the silver-haired girl's name, Kunou's eyes went wide in recognition as I did tell her about the young girl that would come for some Math repetitions. So she detached herself from my hand and approached the silent Nekoshou, standing right in front of her as she gave a low bow.

"My name is Kunou Kurama. I've heard good things about you and I hope you could take care of me..." She looked up, golden matching with golden. "Koneko-senpai."

If there had been some concern and distress at the new girl at school within Koneko's mind, it all vanished the moment that honorific sunk in her brain.

Eyes going wide for a brief moment, my little kohai blinked in surprise at the introduction but managed a nod through her shock. "I… It's nice to meet you too, Kunou-kohai. My full name is Koneko Toujou, I will help you around if you need."

They both nodded at each other and I felt like something between the two, a strong friendship, was going to bloom from that little gesture.

…

Or maybe I just wanted the two of them to be good friends and I was seeing stuff.

"Anyway, Senpai can I ask you if I can pass around for some help with the next exam?"

I blinked confused. "Sure, but I thought you had already done one quite recently-"

"Our sensei is very strict. She says that making several exams will preserve the best our current knowledge of the subject and the next exam will be by the end of this week."

"I guess I could help and- Oh right." I nodded in recognition. "I am currently living alone with Kunou, if you want I can pass you the new address-"

"I think I will ask Kunou-kohai." She remarked quietly, taking hold of the blonde's hand. "Since I will be the one helping her around."

…Wait, what?

"Koneko-san-"

"It's fine, Niichan." I blinked at the smiling kitsune. "Koneko-senpai said that she will be helping me around and I don't want to overburden you."

I frowned at that. "But I'm not-"

"Overruled, senpai." Koneko interjected and started to walk with Kunou on tow. "Let's go, kohai."

Staring at them disappear in one of the corners, I couldn't help but have my jaws hang low at how things have unfolded.

What had just happened?

Few moments later, seeing that it was getting fairly late, I reached for my own classroom and prepared for the Art lesson of the hour.

Just as I took my usual seat, our sensei entered the room with a happy smile, causing many of us to look quite confused at her unusually good mood.

"Today we shall have our monthly drawing contest. Please pick your partner and start to work!"

The short declaration was initially considered by many, then a large group of people started to move around to pick their own partner and, as I was about to move myself to find my own I saw someone dropping softly their art-book on my desk.

"May I be your partner?" The feminine voice asked, causing me to look up from my own books and blink at the smiling face of Akeno Himejima.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-!

* * *

**AN**

**Koneko accepts Kunou as her disciple, MC is outsmarted by both Chibis and Akeno has some plans for today, plans about the MC.**

**Now, isn't this the recipe for disaster?**_** Ara, Ara intensifies…**_

**And now I am contemplating putting Akeno in the rooster for MC's hearts because some have suggested it. I am quite neutral over what to do about it and thankfully the shipping arc will happen much later in the plot so…Fufufufufufufu!**

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	11. Confrontations

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 11****: Confrontations**

* * *

I've gone through difficult choices to keep myself from getting this level of investigations from Rias continuing, making sure that _nothing_ could urge those to continue even after the situation with Asia was settled.

I was quite annoyed to find out with the direct presence of Akeno for this Art Contest that this wasn't the case, as I did forget to take into account the fact this Rias was actually…

Petty.

Before the Phenex Arc, the heiress to the Gremory Clan was pretty much an entitled brat with a sweetening coat of kindness and good manners keeping people from perceiving her major flaw.

The redhead was genuinely concerned about those around her, but the way she tried to approach people that sparked some interest to her and her lack of concrete social skills at dealing with the simple student she knew nothing about were good enough reasons to create an unhealthy way to deal with everyone around her that wasn't her peerage or her family.

And while I was humanizing this aspect of her mind, I wasn't certainly going to let some spoiled girl get a freebie in stepping on me.

"What is your best quality, the one thing that you are best for this task?" I decided that to avoid getting stuck with this young woman for too long, I needed to put my head on what I had to do and avoid the rest.

"I'm fine with coloring. I hope this is not a problem for you, Hoitsu-kun-"

"_Hoitsu-san_, I don't remember extending any familiarity with you, Akeno-san."

Her smile twitched hesitant but I had most of my attention of the white paper as I started to draw the first lines of the subject I had in mind for this contest with a soft pencil.

For few moments there was some pleasant silence, which ended up giving me some extra time to elaborate some defense against the Yamato Nadeshiko sitting quite close to me.

The Fallen Angel-Devil hybrid took this time to actually glance both at me as I focused on the drawing and the drawing itself since the first few hints about my subject started to appear.

"You are drawing Sensei?" The Queen of Rias' peerage stated with barely hidden surprise.

"I remember hearing from some members of the council that she was supposed to retire during this year. Seeing her unusually happy expression when she entered the classroom, I think she got some good news about it." I stated while keeping my eyes on the paper.

"You mean that she could be retiring any time now?" She said with some small surprise dripping from her tone. "I didn't know about this and… you want this to be a goodbye gift to her?"

I nodded, a soft humming coming from the young woman as she continued. "That is kind of you."

Blinking I glanced up with a frown. "And that what's supposed to mean?"

"Only that I think this is the first unique act you have ever shown in Kuoh." As she finished with that statement, I found myself snorting and let my attention slip back to the lines I was defining.

"That is quite the erroneous idea you have of me, Akeno-san." I remarked. "I think the fact I've been quite renowned for 'unique acts' ever since the beginning of this year."

She blinked. "Truly?"

"I've been helping Issei to detach himself from his former group of idiots, I helped Kunou-chan around the school and I also gave Asia the opportunity to be part of the Club she best fit for."

She flinched at the last example, just as I had expected, but she managed a frown.

"Rias only wanted to befriend Asia-chan-"

"-But she ended up getting her pushed away."

A minor scowl appeared on Akeno's face. "Buchou has a good heart-"

"-But poor social capabilities when dealing with fellow students and peers her age." I interrupted once more, this time deciding to explain a little more. "It's fairly clear that, while not done consciously from her part, her attitude towards 'interesting people' is somewhat childish. She has this idea that getting them on your club would mean instant friendship, without needing to expand further on that."

The female hybrid looked ready to protest, but I wasn't finished. "I understand that she had lived a sheltered life and that you were already there before you both started studying at Kuoh, but I think it's right to say this 'unpleasant' truth."

I put down my pencil, dragging the eraser some of the mistakes I've left behind, then spoke again. "She isn't perfect in that part and she needs someone to guide her through that part she is so hesitant about."

Akeno's protests died before they could be voiced, her violet eyes widening a little at that depiction of the Gremory. "W-What are you talking about?" She tried to appear clueless, but the stutter ruined her attempt.

I sighed. "You mean how is it possible that someone that much could be understood from not talking to someone?" I glanced once more at her. "Why of course, your leader does flinch a lot when her confident move is turned useless by a simple tactic."

She frowned at that explanation. "It could be just surprise-"

"Surprise doesn't generally get people that much tense." I sighed, dropping my pencil once more and starting to contemplate which pen to use to retrace the lines of the drawing. "Her flinches are tense. She tends to get on a very defensive stance when her determination is forced to a halt."

The Himejima blinked at that. "Buchou could be a little bit hesitant once in a while, that doesn't certainly mean she is that much inexperienced with people."

"Then I will wait and see if my theory or yours are valid with future events." I conceded tiredly, I was starting to get annoyed about the whole chit-chatting as I was paying little attention to the drawing now.

Of all days, Rias had to annoy me while I was doing such important task?

"By the way, why did your boss send you here?" I asked calmly, ignoring the confused frown from the girl. "Is she perhaps interested in Kunou-chan, now?"

There was a brief moment of silence, then Akeno smiled. "Actually, Hoitsu-san, I decided to see what kind of person you were on my own."

...What?

What the actual heck?!

"Uh?" was what ended up leaving my mouth and the girl giggled.

"I guess it's kind of surprising as you had this little big theory of yours about Rias-buchou." Her smug look was annoying to even know it was there, even through I was still staring at the paper.

"A little bit but..." I softly dropped the pen and held one of my hands right up to cup my own cheek, then closed my eyes in a satisfied expression and relayed the true counter to this girl in particular.

It was a counter I had only thought possible but never tested its practicality, knowing that there was a minor chance of ending up with some unpleasant situations in the near future… but-

"Ara, Ara, is Akeno-san interested in me in a perverted way? I can only wonder what kind of things she would do to me then~"

I blinked my eyes open to gauge her reaction and I was rewarded with a full-face blush from Akeno, her eyes wide open as her jaw had dropped low. She seemed frozen in time, stuck in that expression and I decided to move before she could react more about it.

I slid the finished drawing right at the girl, her violet eyes finally darted away, looking down as she noticed the work in front of her and she blinked.

"It's your turn, Akeno-san." The girl didn't answer at my input, returning to stare up at me and… it was intense. She continued to stare for two full minutes, something that left me quite nervous for some reason and I expected her to launch a full-fledged lewd assault at that and…

I was confused when said thing didn't happen, the Himejima silently starting to pick the various colored pencils and markers to begin her own work.

There was no further interaction from that, which caused me to frown warily at the suddenly quiet girl. While she was particularly reserved sometimes, it looked odd to see her go this much unresponsive after we just ended up that talk.

Did that comeback seriously cause her to back away from… everything she could have asked after that?

The comeback itself was actually a joking remark, nothing more and nothing less, yet the effects that it caused on Akeno looked… quite impressive.

What has just happened to the girl currently busy with the coloring phase?

The mystery remained unknown for the rest of the contest and even after as, just brief instants after giving the final result, which was quite well-done in my opinion for both sides, the Himejima retreated with a polite nod back to her desk and decided to not turn around to stare back where I was.

Rias looked confused too, seeing her Queen getting this quite and reserved without an apparent reason and she did glance back where I was sitting, trying to understand what was going on with Akeno.

Of course I avoided her eyes as I knew that the possible reason the usually teasing girl was in that state was the very playful remark I did starting with that 'Ara, Ara'.

To think that the magnitude of that statement could bring to the girl was of this level…

I don't know if I should be impressed or scared for any future retaliation now…

* * *

Kunou looked positively elated at her first day at Kuoh Academy.

As we meet up by the school's entrance, the kitsune was quick to barrage me with details from her first day, from the interesting lessons she had to take notes of to the classmates that were kind enough to help her around.

Koneko would pass by during the pauses between lessons to ask if she required any help, to which the blonde kindly said no. The only issue that she had with her day was the fact she was supposed to stay sitting for full hours and couldn't move around when she wanted too.

It was felt 'odd', but the girl managed to bear through the day until the end of the lessons.

She was latched her hands onto my arm as we started to make our way back home, my other hand busied with my phone as I quickly contacted Baraqiel to inform him of the situation with Koneko.

The man agreed that bringing the attention of the Gremory peerage upon us this early on would be a dangerous thing to do, him in particular since he wasn't still sure how to deal with his daughter and, without fussing too much about it, he accepted to go and visit some pubs while I was busy with the silver-haired Nekoshou.

Once we were back home, I started to prepare quickly some lunch while Kunou rushed to her room to change back to her home's clothes and drop her school bag by her bed. She went to the bathroom to clean her hand and wash her face from any trace of sweat, while I decided to clean my own hands in the kitchen area.

I decided that today was a good day for some omelets and started to bring out several eggs out of the fridge and, as I did so, I also noticed the bag of potatoes hiding by the far corner of the machine and picked some of those too.

And while in the frying pan the content for the omelet started to cook, on a medium-sized pot I had water start to boil as I peeled the ten potatoes I had picked to prepare the dish I had in mind.

Thirty minutes later, I had the steamy omelets put in plates, ending up making one more than planned, while the potatoes were almost boiled to an acceptable level.

Kunou was sitting by the table and waiting patiently, her mouth watering at her plate with the delicious-looking omelet, but confused at the lacking quantity. Her golden eyes turned back to the kitchen room which I had ventured once more and she saw me returning with a large plate with several boiled potatoes.

She frowned in confusion, her eyes following my actions as I dropped five of the potatoes on the free space of her plate and her nose sniffed at its scent.

Eyes widening, she grasped her fork and carefully picked the interesting food and took a bit from it.

She munched slowly, testing the texture and the taste and, few moments later a smiling kitsune had finished her first boiled potato.

I sat down and took a bite from the omelet and nodded happily at the result of my hard-work.

Just as the lunch commenced, our little moment of peace was abruptly interrupted by the door-bell ringing only once.

I stopped and blinked while looking towards the main entrance door. Did Koneko come earlier than expected?

Walking towards the door, I peeked from the door-hole and nodded at the sight of familiar white-hair. I opened the door and was graced with my kohai with her school bag on her back.

"Senpai, did I come too early or-"

"No, no. You may enter, you are not disturbing." She blinked at my interruption but nodded as she stepped inside and glanced around the new house. Surprised and awed, the Nekoshou wandered a little before setting her attention to the living room and noticing Kunou looking back at her with a smile.

"Ku-kohai." The oldest of the two girl greeted with a small smile.

"Ko-senpai." The little blonde returned with a bigger smile.

The silver-haired girl rushed to the table and paused only to glance at the plates there, mouth opening to ask something but her stomach-

**Growl**

Beat her to it.

A little blush spread in her cheeks and she sighed. "I _might_ have forgotten to eat something for lunch, senpai."

Kunou smiled and nodded. "Well, Niichan did make a third omelet, Ko-senpai. You could have it!"

"I don't wish to impose-"

"You are not imposing..." I patted her head from behind. "Koneko-chan."

The girl blinked in surprise and then huffed at being patted so suddenly, causing the blonde still in her seat to giggle at the scene.

Moments later Koneko was sitting with us by the table and enjoying her own share of omelet and potatoes, smiling as she consumed the delicious dishes. The entire lunch was a brief affair and while I was cleaning the empty plates back in the kitchen, both girls started to discuss with each other.

Their words were muffled by the fact I was far away from the scene, but I could still see from time to time the two sharing some friendly bantering.

Once I was done with this chore and returned to the living room, I found myself staring at quite the situation.

Koneko had her eyes closed as Kunou continued to hug her. The little kitsune was humming happily in the embrace and I could see a small smile in my kohai's face as this WMD of cute continued to manifest before my eyes.

I stared for few moments, until golden eyes finally opened with a pleased expression and froze at my sight. Koneko stiffened a little in the embrace and the blonde turned to see what caused her senpai sudden freezing up.

"Niichan."

I blinked back to reality. "I-I finished cleaning the dishes." The girl nodded finally ending the embrace. "Koneko-chan, if you want you could stay a little more after we finish our study session."

The Nekoshou seemed to genuinely contemplate the possibility but much to Kunou's and my dismay, the girl shook her head at the idea.

"I would like to, but I have things to do back home. Thank you for offering, senpai."

At those words, the blonde quickly went for her room with the intention of quickly do her homework and then join us for the study session.

Differently from the first time, Koneko had bought a calculator and was being incredibly careful with the way she was completing the various sets of math queries I've written down for her to complete.

It was a particularly quiet session, the girl having little to no trouble in grasping the logic behind some of the exercises.

An hour later Kunou managed to join us and started to ask about some of the formulas her senpai was using and, much to my glee, Koneko was keen to answer every single question from the fellow Yokai.

The session lasted for about two more hours and I was happy with the results the girl managed to get from this first repetition. Before she went back home, the girl and I ended up establishing the hours where she could come for the sessions and I was quick to add that she could join us for lunch if she wished for.

She obviously didn't answer to that, but I could see in her eyes that she would thought about it.

* * *

I waited some time after Koneko had left the house to call Baraqiel. The man returned half-an-hour later and he seemed sober from his trip to the pub, a good thing since I wanted to focus on some training now.

We moved upstairs where the house had built-in a special dojo filled with various seals and long-term spells that absorbed damage and restored any physical alteration to the room.

There was a small table by the far corner of the room, 10 small bottles of Tears of Phoenix sitting there in line and prompting me to frown at it.

"Why are there so few of those?" I turned at the Fallen Angels, some electricity crackling in his arms and causing me to tense up a little.

He smiled. "Azazel told me that you are lacking in terms of offensive spells and attacks, we will focus on that first and..."

Before he could finish this sentence, thunder sparked out of his palms and launched towards me. My eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected attack and I quickly erected five Light Barriers in front of me.

My jaws dropped the moment I saw the lightning passing through the white walls without any sign of alteration or slowing down.

It finally crashed on my arm, that I have lifted as to take the brunt of the attack within my limb rather take the hit on my head or chest. The resulting pain stunned me a little, my eyes closed instinctively and, as I prepared to take on the searing sensation to the fullest, I felt it vanish in a wave of heat.

Gone was the painful effects of the attack, yet I could still see the electricity dancing all over my arm… with a striking difference. It was no longer glowing blue as it had left Baraqiel's hands, it was a pristine white lightning playing around my limb and I could feel its power coursing around my Magical Core.

I blinked again as the electricity finally dissipated, leaving behind only its energy. Turning back to the Fallen Angel, the man nodded at me and sighed.

"That, Hoitsu-kun, is a suspect of mine proving to be correct." He started to explain. "You have an affinity to Thunder and a minor one to Light."

… "Wait, isn't that kind of exclusive to-"

"While the Holy Lightning bloodline helps to harmoniously create powerful Thunder-based elemental casts, people can still try and develop similar powers but they tend to spend more time to achieve what my family is capable of gaining in mere months of training."

"So I could technically gain some powerful techniques from training with this-"

"At the expenses of spending quite the large amount of time to develop." Baraqiel reminded, electricity crackling again around him. "I will show you some techniques and I wish that you use those immediately during the spars we will have."

I nodded and carefully prepared to see this unfold.

The first spell was what I could assume as Electricity Bolts, rapid-firing low-damage attacks that were meant to be common at this stage.

The second one looked like a transparent wall with some blue corners, it seemed sturdier than the light barriers and thicker in size.

Finally the third technique was a… whip? I saw Baraqiel playing around with it, seemingly distracted by something and then he suddenly stopped, his cheeks turning red and-

_Oh no, I am NOT dealing with that kind of stuff!_

"S-Sensei." He twitched and seemed to break away from his reverie, noticing that he had been still for a while.

"Sorry, Hoitsu-kun." He apologized while staring at the palm previously holding the electric whip. "Just being reminded of… my late wife."

_I don't need this._

"She was so sweet and understanding." _A good sadistic and dominatrix too._

"I could even go so far to say that she completed me." _I mean, Akeno __**did**__ get both the sadistic and the masochistic traits from both of her degenerate parents._

"By the way, sensei, can I ask you something… hypothetical before we begin?"

The man paused and nodded. "Does it have to do with my daughter?"

A chill went down my spine as I wanted to avoid mentioning what had happened today but I still wanted some answers about it.

"Actually it has to do with your relationship with your wife, sensei. Nothing overly personal or-"

"Please do ask, I will answer the best I can about my Mist-_I mean_, my Shuri."

That was quite the close call there…

"Did your wife make use frequently of the term 'Ara, Ara'?"

The answer was an instant nod. "It was something of a unique thing for her… I remember my little Akeno copying her about that and… does she still do that?"

"She says that quite frequently. I thought it was something that was associated with the 'Onee-sama' reputation she built around herself."

"Oh, that explains a lot, but I think you should directly ask your question, Hoitsu-kun."

I gulped nervously at the little push from the Fallen Angel and… I decided to formulate a smart question. "Have you ever replied to your wife with a sentence starting with the 'Ara, Ara' term?"

He went still for a moment, then a dumb smile appeared on his face and he nodded.

"I do reckon that it was how we ended up dating together. It was while she was nursing me back from a terrible injury I had received while fighting a Stray Devil and, seeing how she repeated that every time she spoke teasingly I decided to reply in kind."

"And?" I tried to push as Baraqiel stopped and started to blush again.

"A-And we ended up discovering_ more_ about each other."

_...Oh no._

"Did you or your wife tell about this story to your daughter-"

"Of course! Which parent wouldn't tell their children about how their love bloomed." Then he looked hesitant. "Although my dear wife did end up going through some… details I think could have been avoided but, Akeno-chan has to be a fine and upstanding student."

How wrong you are, Baraqiel-sensei…

"Anyway, let us not diverge with the past's sentimentalism any longer, let's see if you got a gist of what you are supposed to do with this new knowledge. Let's go!"

And with that the first of many spars began!

_But as the brawl started, at the entrance of the dojo where Hoitsu's bag was lying, the phone contained within it started to vibrate, notifying the arrival of a new message._

_**Title: Invitation for Tea Time at the Occult Research Club.**_

* * *

**AN**

**So it seems that some misunderstanding is happening. I wonder how this will unfold…**

**In two chapters from now another minor time-skip and the beginning of the second mission. This one sadly lacking a female chibi. (keep an eye over every word of this sentence as there is a clue there).**

**Also trying to deal with the fact the Call of Duty Zombie timeline is now officially over in quite the 'meh' ending. It **_**does**_** solve some questions, but the overall emotion about it is bitterness. **_**Something felt like it's missing.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

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**RedBurningDragon****: Gasper will 'be' DIO, but I have in mind someone that could do Jotaro.**

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**Guest (Chapter 10)****: Gasper will 'be' DIO confirmed!**


	12. Cornering Someone for Something

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 12****: Cornering Someone for Something**

* * *

The Occult Research Club-room was the perfect copy of what was represented in the show, thus I will not spend time to describe the peculiarly humongous size of the room or the fact it had a fucking shower in the middle of it.

While in the 'Anime' side of the story the fact a student could easily be pulled out of class and pardoned because he had to speak to an important character, I was fairly sure how things were unfolding right now was quite illegal by the school's rules.

I never heard of a school that could allow students to be literally pulled out of a classroom mid-lesson and given as justification the fact 'they were going to talk with a big name'.

It just was wrong and dumb by logical thought available and present. Just like the blasted shower in the middle of the room.

Seriously, who would really want to shower in front of people? And why?

Rias was someone that, from my understanding, doesn't have any issue in showing some skin around, my mind reminding me how she would spend her nights sleeping 'with' Issei without clothes.

It's a miracle the boy hadn't regressed back to when he was going with his perverted ways because of this occurrence, but I was quite certain it had all to do with Asia.

The former nun seemed to be less worried about losing Issei to someone, it was a strange change in her attitude towards the brunet compared to the Canon that was almost difficult to spot on.

The blond would still seek the boy's presence, happy to be around him much to my glee, but she wouldn't exert herself in showing her interest about it by going too far.

My only theory connected to the first encounter and how the initial interactions weren't as intense as in Canon: Issei didn't get to give her a full tour of Kuoh Town until I was mid-training with Azazel and, without Raynare there to interrupt and cause a heroic rescue to save the blonde, Asia's idea of the boy was… a little more personal.

There wasn't much of a Knight in Shining Armor kind of idea in the girl regarding the boy she cared for and that offered her the chance to slowly learn more about him to a moderate pace.

Plus there was the fact Issei himself didn't present himself as a teen that launched himself at every oppai he saw, thus mostly removing the chances of the blonde to get jealous about other girls and push herself to 'catch his attention'.

That is why I could only suppose Rias was having a particularly difficult time with the brunet and Asia. In the show the redhead would have some sort of advantage over both 'Kohais' as she was quite resourceful and gave off quite the confident presence compared to both the boy's and girl's uncertain reactions to everything about the supernatural world.

With Asia standing on some strong foundation and becoming an important element in Issei's life, the Gremory's chances of teasing and playing around with the boy's (now non-existent) embarrassing habits turned quite useless if not antagonistic.

The atmosphere at the club was quite tense for some reason and the club was divided in two visible sides.

Occupying both sides of the couch I was sitting in were a nervous Issei and the stoic-looking Koneko, the little Nekoshou munching at some candies as silence reigned all around us.

Kiba took one of the chairs near the center of the room, Rias was sitting in the couch to the opposite of the one I was currently seated and Akeno was humming happily as she finished preparing some tea.

I had long contemplated the fact they would reveal themselves there, but this theory was discouraged by the fact Sona wouldn't allow that.

As I had said long before, the Sitri heiress still considered me part of some 'honorary peerage' as I was a member of the Student Council and giving up the 'honor' of revealing what was going on in the school's backstage wasn't something she was going to truly accept nor do.

So I knew that whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be incredibly big or important plot-wise.

Finally the Himejima came to pass and, even through I politely declined her offer of a cup of tea, I was presented with a steamy one of it. Groaning, I held it close but didn't sip at it until I could study its content.

The words shared the day before with Baraqiel were still ringing dreadfully in my mind and I knew that every possible attempt to 'seduce me' was now going to be something of be wary of while around her.

The girl sat near her buchou, smiling sweetly and waiting for something to happen. Without hesitation I glanced at the tea in the cup and I did notice an odd shade to it and I noticed that I wasn't the only one suspecting some foul play going on.

Koneko's eyes were fixed at the liquid, her candy-munching interrupted as she frowned at the cup. Her nose was sniffing at it and then, in a mere blink of an eye, her hand swiftly slapped the cup away, uncaring of the tea spilling on the ground and the container exploding in shard as it slammed on the floor.

Issei yelped in surprise but it was_ her_ reaction that surprised me the most

"K-Koneko?!" Our attention shifted to the wide-eyed Akeno, the girl shocked, a little angry but mostly dismayed at how her plan had been ruined by the silver-haired girl.

"Koneko-chan… why did you slap Hoitsu-san's cup away?" Rias's voice showed some surprise and reprimanding tone. The girl looked a little more tense now that the King was interested on the matter and I decided to intervene just because it was my kohai suffering this double attack.

"I think Koneko-chan spotted a mosquito on the cup and since it was quite close to her-"

"I almost jumped at that." The girl faked an apologetic tone and nodded towards my direction. "I'm sorry, senpai."

"There is no need to apologize to me, Koneko-chan. Still, I think that was quite the excessive reaction and you should apologize to Akeno-san-"

"I-I am fine with that." The Himejima interrupted nervously, causing me to frown at her. "I-I suppose accidents can happen a-and I forgive you, Koneko-_chan_."

There was some barb in the usage of that honorific, but I guess that did screw some of her plans. I wonder if it was some aphrodisiac or something worse…

Thank the Gods I wasn't going to deal with that ever again, since now her plan was clear to me and she knew it wouldn't work with me anymore.

Rias seemed ready to mount a protest, as her lips parted to make space to some response to what was going on… then she stopped and seemed to think about this a little more.

"Ignoring what has just happened… I assume you wish to know why you got invited here this urgently, Hoitsu-san."

I nodded. "That is correct, Rias-san."

There was a brief smile then the girl turned to Koneko. "I've been told that you are now living alone, in your own house."

I blinked at the curious beginning of something incredibly convoluted. "Yes, that is the case."

"And how did you exactly 'bypass' your parents about this? Did you buy your new home and-"

"If you mean that 'I avoided fighting with them' with 'bypass them', then no, I did fight them about the subject." I corrected quickly. "But in that very fight we managed to sort out the issues and have them accept my current plans for the future."

The Gremory fidgeted in her seat as she thought about my words, then she continued. "But you did have to make something to get them to see your point."

Sighing I nodded. "I had to show them results that my plans are starting well and they would be until I was careful around."

… "What?"

"Actions matter more than words." I stated calmly. "That is an unspoken rule of life that helps almost everywhere. If you wish for someone to understand and approve of what you want to do with your life then you need to prove that your idea is worth of consideration-"

"This is actually a… different case." The redhead sighed, putting the chat in a stall as I narrowed my eyes at her sudden interruption.

I continued to stare at her for a little while, her sky-blue eyes darting away from direct contact and I sighed tiredly as I decided to push up the discussion.

"Are you dealing with an arranged marriage?"

True silence reigned in the club-room.

Issei looked quite confused, Kiba and Akeno looked shocked at the precise question and Koneko merely showed surprise at my words. Yet it was Rias' reaction that won it all.

The heiress to the Gremory family went still, frozen as her eyes widened in evident shock, fear and dismay.

"H-How did you-"

"It was a mere theory of mine, taking under consideration the fact that you come from a traditional rich family."

"B-But how did you know t-this was the case?" Kiba asked, breaking away from his shocked state.

"As I said, it was merely a theory, an assumption that was answered positively by the reaction of most of the occupants."

"S-Still, that is something big, buchou!" The brunet looked incredibly clueless about some bits of the situation, but part of the disgusting mess was starting to sink in his brain.

He had all the rights to be like that, but I decided to focus on the matter at hand. First we solve this mangled debacle, then some explanation will be given by _Rias and only Rias._

"Rias-san, I suppose you have a copy of the contract with you as you are directly involved with it."

She nodded. "I do, but I've already searched for any clauses that I could use against_ him_ but-"

"There is none that would help." Well, that sucks big time as I did kind of hoped that something could have been done about it, maybe avoid completely the Phenex Arc with some cunning planning but…

It wasn't the case.

Which means that I would have to be ready to personally meddle if something strange happens and Canon derail for a reason or another.

"Have you thought of declaring the contract void since you weren't signing it willfully?"

She blinked. "What?"

"You could mention that the pressure exercised by both family ended up influencing your decision and, against the chances of performing your pondering with the lack of a peaceful and free capacity, you were forced to sign such contract."

I waited, expecting the girl to rebuke my idea as it was actually standing on some frail foundation. While the girl was this desperate to get out from the contract, she wouldn't go as far to face the possible wrath of her parents about it-

"It could work."

… "What?"

The redhead smiled. "It is a pretty weak excuse, I think that is why you seem this much surprised of seeing me agree to that… but I can plan something _from it_."

I blinked once, then twice. "Could you elaborate?"

"My brother has already mentioned that he would support me in case I vouched a good and compelling case that he can get behind and my parents aren't interested about the arranged marriage themselves, so convincing them should be easy..."

"And the issue is?"

Rias sighed. "There are some members of the close group of 'friends' of my family that might not see this in a positive light."

"From my understanding, you have quite some time to deal with this." She nodded at my affirmation. "Then you should focus on building up some backing from those groups and provide yourself a cushion for an eventual fallout."

She nodded. "I will do that."

There was a relieved smile and she relaxed on her couch. "Hoitsu-san, thank you."

I snorted and she frowned. "I mean it. I would even reward you-"

"If you wish to do something then apologize to Asia, since you have been avoiding her since she joined a club that wasn't yours." I stated seriously. "If that was your attempt at befriending people, that was poorly-made."

She flinched at my tone but nodded slowly at my request. "I-I can see your point. I guess I wasn't particularly honest with her and-"

"I want you to also never try to bring her to whatever you are planning here."

Tension sparked once more at the sudden threat, but I ignored the sudden frown from the Gremory. "I don't know what you are talking about, Hoitsu-san."

"Then let us speak within the hypothetical case." I smiled at the fact the pressure I was feeling was actually bearable. "If I discover you tried to manipulate Asia once more, I will make sure to create some real opposition. And that, Gremory-_san_, is not something you truly wish to face, trust me."

And with that weight finally delivered, I got up and started to walk towards the door that lead outside of the club-room.

"Where are you two going?" Rias asked with a mix of surprise and annoyance. Following me closely was Koneko and it was the silver-haired girl that answered the older teen.

"If you remember, Rias-buchou, I asked to be exempted from class for only a single lesson as today I have an English exam during the second hour of school. In ten minutes I have to be back to class and I don't wish to be late for it."

The redhead nodded at her excuse and turned at me expecting some motivation from me too. I shrugged. "I have class too, plus I think this discussion is over and… you have to explain stuff to Issei."

"Yes, but-"

**Click**

The door closed behind us and I sighed in relief at the fact she wasn't giving chase.

"Do you wish to be escorted to class, Koneko-chan." I offered and she spent few moments to hum about it and then…

"Okay."

* * *

The rest of the school-day seemed to fly at how quick it went.

Kunou enjoyed her second day at the Academy, while I was glad to not get annoyed by Rias after that 'little chit-chat' we had earlier that morning.

It had seemed like the whole day was actually going to be a very normal one, without any major issues or problem to face and… I found it the annoying way that it wasn't the case.

Just as we turned the corner for the small street that led to our home, Kunou squealed happily and rushed forward as she quickly spotted Koneko in the distance, waiting right by the entrance of the house.

The Nekoshou seemed quite dismayed by something or, once I noticed whom was waiting by her side, _someone_.

Akeno waved happily and smiled as I slowly approached, the little blonde frowning at the unknown individual and went to ignore her as she intercepted her senpai with a hug.

"What are you doing here?" I asked without hesitation at the still smiling Yamato nadeshiko.

"Hello to you too, Hoitsu-kun, I thought of passing by and see if you needed some help-"

"Pass." I stated quickly and her smile only widened at the refusal.

"It isn't something you can refuse~-"

"Watch me." I gestured the two girls to get inside the house inside and, once I stepped inside, I was about to close the door behind me to keep the young woman out when she suddenly put her feet in and-

It blocked my chances of closing.

She didn't move at first as I tried to deter her by carefully adding some little more force and get her to back down but-

"T-This is~ New~"

_I completely forgot whom I was trying to deter with pain_ _and… she was enjoying through it all._

I backed away from the door and she smiled deviously as she closed it behind.

"Ara, Ara, was I that much… scary there?"

Yes, yes you were, you crazy masochist.

She giggled at my lack of response and proceeded to slowly venture inside the house, her violet eyes locking onto the kitchen area visible by the end of the living room.

"Oh?" She quickly marched towards the shiny room, I followed her closely as she entered inside and stopped to stare at the large communion of modern appliances and various cooking utensils carefully put in the various cupboards and drawers.

Her eyes were shining through the whole time and I started to notice that I had yet to see Kunou and Koneko when I entered the house. I suppose the blonde could have gotten the older girl to follow her to her room, having mentioned that she would have wanted to show her senpai her room.

And so I was here, alone with the currently distracted 'Priestess of Thunder' as she studied the whole Kitchen in silence.

Finally she stopped to nod to herself. "I would like a kitchen like this for myself." Then she turned to look at me, her smile changing in something quite mysterious and dreadful for some reason.

A chill went down my spine as she curiously approached the sink and she opened the tap.

The sudden burst of water caused her to yelp while also close the tap before causing too much of a mess to clean after and… her lips twitched in amusement.

"Oops."

God-fucking-dammit. Why I had to deal with this perverted woman-

_Why was I getting the attention of the more perverted ones?!_

"Can you take me to the bathroom-"

"I am picking some towels and some pair of fresh clothes." I interjected quickly, knowing that bathroom and perverts created the worst nightmare for those trying to keep the V-Card for the right moment.

She pouted and waited there as I quickly rushed upstairs to pick said objects. I was glad that she didn't try anything with this much water wetting her clothes and rendering some feature visible.

It wasn't a full sight, but I could see her cleavage and her toned stomach. I had a little blush because of that and the girl milked this opportunity by using the towels _very slowly and __**very carefully**_.

Once she had the dripping water issue dealt with I left the kitchen for a while to let her change with the pair of clothes I had procured to her. The Himejima spent the same amount of time, if not more to complete this simple task and I was tortured by little teasing from her side.

"_Hoitsu-kun, could you help me with the bra? I'm having trouble getting it off~._"

"_My legs are tired, could you help me remove the skirt~?"_

"_Actually, could you give me a foot massage~? I would like a very extended one~."_

This is… mind-shattering.

My pride and virtue was put to a difficult challenge against someone that was professionally the perfect perverted woman.

Thankfully she didn't make any first step nor pressed on with any of the blushes she could spot on my face and kept herself from passing over my 'safe line' of distance.

As Kunou and Koneko descended from upstairs and sat by the living room's table, Akeno and I started to prepare something and… by something I mean the Himejima decided to take the lead with the preparation of the menu.

Miso soup was something I had the ingredients to make, but I was quite an inept in making traditional Japanese dishes, having most of my knowledge coming from Western cuisine.

Thus I was pretty much given a secondary role of support during the preparation, following the smiling woman as she gave orders over orders.

It was a quick process that surprisingly didn't crash and burn as I had initially thought it would and the result was delicious.

Kunou and Koneko were both glowing happily while eating the content of the soup. Akeno didn't try anything funny during the moment spent all together and few minutes later, both girls retreated back to the blonde's room and I was left alone once more with the Queen of Rias' peerage.

We were cleaning the empty plates when something unusual happened.

I was bracing myself for any eventual strike from Akeno, still giving enough focus to the plates I had to complete, when I heard the girl sigh tiredly. I glanced her way and I saw her stopping for a moment, eyes closed and I frowned.

"Something's wrong?"

She looked surprised and almost jumped at my question before giving off a nervous look. "J-Just thinking outloud. Nothing to worry about."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Are you… sure?"

The Himejima blinked and nodded slowly. "I am fine."

'I am fine'. I gave off a perplexed expression and planned how to tackle this sudden sadness of the girl.

"And what if I tell you that I don't believe it and I said that I could offer you a shoulder?"

There was some silence as she went still for a moment and then nodded to herself.

"I would say 'good job' and then ask to replace the shoulder with your bare back." She replied, her smile twitching in weak amusement as I groaned at her surprising response.

"Cheeky, but I am trying to help you there." I sighed and continued. "What got you this sad, Akeno."

She tilted her head and then turned her attention back to the sink. "I… guess I was thinking about about my childhood."

Oh.

"My mom was… quite supportive when I wanted to help her around with the house chores. It was fun when we were both doing those and..." She smiled sadly. "Right now I was reminded of those times, when she was… still alive and-"

Akeno bent a little over the sink and I sighed as I slowly spread my arms open at her. The gesture was caught almost immediately by her attention and she moved softly to press her head onto my chest.

The sobbing began a little muffled as Akeno pressed her face close to my shirt, the girl was crying quite calmly as I silently had one of my arms wrapping around her while my free hand started to carefully run through her hair, lulling her as she let out everything she was holding in.

Few minutes of this passed and I didn't speak nor move further as she needed some time to rest.

Finally she started to sniffle a little, her head turning as she looked up with a small smile.

"S-Sorry. I stained your-"

"That's alright." I quickly reassured her with a small smile of my own. "How are you doing?"

She sniffled a little more. "J-Just a little tired now. But… I feel better."

She moved out of the hug and nodded. "T-Thank you."

"You are welcome."

As she used one of the unused towels to clean her face off the tears, the two other girls finally emerged from the kitsune's room and sat prepared for the little Math session.

The study session that followed was quite interesting as Akeno decided to take a more active role than before by joining the group with her own homework, which I had to help with myself as I was the one sharing that burden with her.

It was livelier than usual and it got quite adorable when Kunou asked to the Himejima if she could sit in her lap to see better what was going on the table. The Yamato nadeshiko blinked and nodded as the little blonde settled on her legs and looked both at the hybrid's and the Nekoshou's homework.

It got real when Akeno patted her head with a smile and let out the strongest kind of Ara, Ara.

"Ara, Ara, aren't you a smart girl?"

Kunou smiled and nodded at her 'newly-named Neechan'.

It was around two hours later, with both girls having completed their homework that I escorted them by the door and out to the open.

"Thank you as always, senpai." Koneko bowed a little.

"And as always, it's just my duty, kohai." I waved at her.

The Himejima merely smiled and nodded. "I hope that I could ask to join you all once more if I have the chance."

"If you can come _and_ don't commit anything remotely lewd, then yes."

She giggled. "Now, that is quite the difficult promise to maintain."

"Please do and… remember to do **that** when you feel sad." I whispered at her, the silver-haired girl on the side frowning at the secrecy.

Akeno blinked and hummed comically. "You mean… _groping?_"

I facepalmed really, really hard at that. _Goddammit, you perverted woman!_

"Hugging! Ugh, why are you like this?"

"Because I am special and… I know that you like me this way, why would I change?"

That very question caused me to frown at her, eliciting some giggles and then she suddenly blinked.

"Actually… there is something on your cheek. Let me..." She approached her finger softly touching my left cheek and then…

**Chu~**

I felt my face explode in red, my brain going a little blank for the embarrassing even currently unfolding as the Himejima pressed her lips on said cheek.

Kunou blinked in surprise while Koneko frowned at the action, both staring and giving their judgment to the situation from afar.

She pulled back with a content smile and nodded. "That is a 'thank-you' for being there for me… even through I didn't deserve it."

I nodded slowly and dumbly, causing Kunou and Akeno to giggle at it while Koneko cracked a quick smile.

Yet as I waved at them while they walked away from the street and turned the corner, I had in mind to return back home and wait for Baraqiel's return.

But, much to my surprise and mostly to my dismay, as I turned to face the entrance door, I saw _him _ looking from the corner.

The Fallen Angel was peeking from said corner, eyes murderously locked on my figure as his hands twitched furiously and cracking the surface he was holding onto.

He was giving me quite the…

**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**

Murderous glance.

I saw him disappear in a blur and I instinctively braced while yelling. "I have a good explanation!-!"

He appeared right in front of me, his hands squeezing at my shoulders as he gave me the greatest of glares. "You will. _After we start a _special_ round of training without Tears of Phoenix. Only then you can explain, __**Hoitsu-kun**__."_

_AW SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-_

* * *

**AN**

**Today I'm supposed to do another 4k chapter for another story and do the 'Standard one-shot' for a HP competition. Hopefully things go well…**

**Quick assurance: Most of the Arcs are going to happen and the Phenex Arc will still happen, just in a different setting and with different events. That is what happens when the timeline is changed.**

**Also quick reminder: This scene is still a pending consideration about Akeno's position and role as this could be the start of a close friendly bond with some perverted moments**_** or**_** I could make it a romantic thing. Thankfully I don't plan any ships happening until a little later.**

**Lastly a small hint, I've plans for the character I will ship Kunou. It will be a shocking surprise but actually a plausible choice. **_**He will appear quite soon too...**_

_**Future needed milestone: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**RedBurningDragon****: A quick encounter, a swift one that opens up a different route for the Phenex arc.**

**User may be a smug prick****: It's stronger than the Force and the Schwartz combined!**

**Eternal Gunslinger****: Part of it, yes. I mean, if it works, why not copy it?**

**Guest-Questioner****: I think it has to do that there is still a good chunk of the fandom quite attached to the original characterization of the protagonists and other characters and don't accept any particular change to their overall behavior. I'm not receiving **_**much**_** opposition, but there is still some and I expect some more to come at what I've planned to do with this story.**

**Guest (Chapter 11):**** I think she wouldn't care as the relationship could be a pervert/non-pervert kind contrast.**

**ThatIdioticMelody****: Thousand thanks and yes, it does tend to get difficult once I have to give enough 'screen presence' for the girls in question.**


	13. Unexpected Roles

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 13****: Unexpected Role**

* * *

Things were going quite well for me and those around.

Having Koneko and Akeno come for lunch and join in the study session together had turned into a normal occurrence much to Baraqiel's chagrin and the 'strange' situations that the Himejima would cause once in a while would continue to persist.

Even through there was a sharp difference from the lewd tone she took early in her 'chase', some particular events would still continue to happen.

Hands touching during lunch, she would press her chest to 'look over my shoulder' or she would even go and try to get her shirts wet while using the sink of the kitchen. The girl ended up mastering the bursts of water, making it a precise hit on her shirt only.

It was the teasing that was left unchanged. The perverted 'Oneesama' was incredibly keen to point out some of the more 'interesting' details about a situation about herself or, in some cases, about me.

Nothing was committed explicitly in front of the two younger girls, yet I was quite sure that my little kohai already knew that something was going on between the Queen of the peerage she was part of and her poor senpai.

Speaking of the sweets-loving girl, I was happy to learn that she was quite confident about the future results of her Math test. The silver-haired Reincarnated Devil did show some rare smiles much to Kunou's growing interest to see more of her senpai.

It was an adorable relationship both Kitsune and Nekoshou were developing, very close to a sisterly bond which Koneko was quite elated to have as she was somehow happy to be the 'older sibling' to the young blonde.

Training proceeded smoothly, with Baraqiel being a little more 'aggressive' in his approach after learning about Akeno's frequent visiting and how she was 'interested' to me. I didn't blame him for being incredibly protective, but I did blame him for making training a true walk through hell with his more violent attitude towards me.

It was around Friday that the Fallen Angel announced some news for the following day.

After finishing the last sparring session of the day, the man showed me a particularly long report, urging me to read it.

And I did and… I was a little surprised at what was supposed my official first mission for Grigori.

I blinked and then frowned at the details, turning for answers to Baraqiel. "Only one day and… where is this place?"

The address was strange, written in a language I was quite unfamiliar with and the man smiled.

"It's going to be a mere escort mission as some talks happens in the meantime and you don't have to worry about the location." The Fallen Angel stated with a smile. "You will be helped around by your partner during the mission, he is quite acknowledged about Hell language."

… "Partner?" I found myself questioning. "You are not going to come too?"

"I will be going for said diplomatic talks once this training session is over." He answered while giving a lone nod. "My presence for this event is important and _your_ presence will give some trust to the other side."

"Are there going to be the Four Maou?" The Fallen Angel quickly nodded at my question. "So… this has to be a big thing and- do I know whom is going to be my partner?"

He merely smiled, then he spoke three words and I groaned.

"You know him."

Which means that, since I knew just four people from Grigori and only one fit the bill, I was going to deal with Vali once again and while he had yet to go rogue, he was still going to be a pain to deal with.

"Can I have some more info? Like who is the contractor or-"

"All will be explained in good time, Hoitsu-kun." Baraqiel sighed as he started to move towards his room. "Just behave and avoid making a bad impression."

With those ominous words the Fallen Angels left the training room, leaving me to contemplate the situation from a very limited standpoint.

Whatever was going on between Grigori and Hell, it has to have to do with Khaos Brigade… or at least what was currently part of KB.

Qlippoth and Old Satan factions have already joined at this time of the story, same for the Nilrem faction as I had the_ pleasure_ to encounter a group of themand-

I wonder if I should contact Mephisto Pheles and inform him about the current situation of the magicians, maybe get his support early on for the eventual anti-KR coalition and avoid some major issues.

I should do that but right now I couldn't because of the lack of info about the Grauzauberer. It wasn't common knowledge in the lore where exactly it was sited, nor how it truly worked.

Maybe they would even hunt me down if they discovered me as I was a Magician, that was a thing now, but I was quite unaware what kind of ideological line they would have towards 'newcomers', a purist or a reformist one.

My little silent thinking earned me a minor headache as I slowly ended up theorizing where exactly Vali and I were supposed to be sent to.

Hell was smaller than the entire world, but it did have several interesting places. Places that were either 'safe' or incredibly dangerous to be spending time within.

Hopefully I wasn't going to deal with any dangerous situation anytime soon and hopefully the Khaos Brigade wasn't going to cause any problem during the talks, just like it had happened in Canon.

I entered my bedroom and blinked at the sight of a nine fluffy tails of golden waggling slowly as Kunou lied on the bed, eyes open and directed at the door while giving a patient look.

The Kitsune was wearing her Pjs and I was glad that there was nothing ecchi in the way she was positioned, no unnecessary skin showing and she looked mostly adorable like that. Like a puppy starving for affection.

I snorted, a small smile playing in my features. "I think you are getting quite spoiled, aren't you?"

She pouted briefly, but didn't shy away as I slowly slipped inside the covers and waited for her to start to move.

The blonde sighed in relief as her head nuzzled on my chest. I patted near her fox ears and she hummed pleased by the calm but careful ministrations.

With her eyelids half-closed, I decided to break the news to her now as things will get quite annoying in the morning.

"Tomorrow I will be out of Kuoh for my work." Her sight was quickly locking on my face. "It will be just for Saturday, by Sunday's early morning I will be back."

She blinked, a little tense but not too much and she asked. "Just Saturday?"

"Yes, just tomorrow. I will call Asia and Issei early in the morning to see if they can come and keep you company, okay?"

Golden eyes glowed warmly at mentioning the fellow blonde and the funny brunet. "What about senpai… or Neechan?"

"I don't have their number, but if they pass and wants to spend some time I don't see any issue with that."

She smiled and nodded, further snuggling close to the warmth. "Niichan?"

I hummed in response, half-asleep already and she giggled.

"I… love you."

I sighed and pulled her head closer, kissing her forehead and smiling. "Love you too, Imouto."

* * *

It was quite early in the morning, I had set my travel bag on the table as I let Asia and Issei in, nodding at them. "Once more thank you to be there-"

"Nonsense, senpai. Issei and I will be more than happy to take care of Kunou and the house for today and..." The girl looked around, a little awed at the size of the place. "T-This house is really big."

The brunet nodded in agreement and then turned back to me with star-glittered eyes. "This is what will happen if I continue working part-time?"

I shrugged. "If you keep up for a long time, you will be able to buy what you want, even a house."

He nodded, happy with the answer as I turned to Kunou. "Remember to listen to Asia-chan and Ise if they say that there is something dangerous going on, okay?"

She nodded quickly. "I will be fine with Ise-nii and Asia-nee."

I patted her head. "Good and.." I blinked towards the two distracted teens, a little devious plan forming inside my mind. "_Do try to bring them together. Just some suggestions, nothing too much complex_."

The girl blinked and glanced towards her temporary caretakers and nodded slowly, a little mischievous smile appearing in her face. "_I will try._"

I patted her head again and picked my bag. "I will see you all tomorrow then." I held my free hand up to wave as I walked out of the door and I was greeted by the three waving back.

Closing the door behind me I started to make my way to the precise alley Baraqiel had told me to present myself to and much to my silent surprise the walk was surprisingly a short one.

I paused a moment before venturing towards what seemed to be a dead end, putting on my disguise as Hekishoku on. Feeling ready to go after putting the changed clothes inside my bag, I started to walk towards the frontal door and… waited for something to happen.

Looking around I found nothing in particular that could fit with anything magical or- Wait.

I pressed my open palm on the wall and… it was warm. Pushing some energy onto the construct, a glowing seal appeared and a beam shoot from it and hit my full body, coating me in light as… _I felt shifting_.

I lost my footing and tripped almost immediately in a rugged floor.

Groaning, I got up and the first thing I noticed was that I was now in a train?

There were some workers walking around, some guards and some normal people wandering through the various aisles of the moving thing. I blinked and turned to look if I could see someone familiar and… I did.

Standing right by the aisle directly in front of this… 'Shifting' section of the train, a caped figure was standing alone, giving me his back and… I decided to test Vali's perception of things.

So I slowly made my way towards him, my feet coated in shadows and silencing the sounds from those and managed to poke at his shoulder to get his attention.

His head snapped my way, I could feel some initial anger, then surprise and realization and finally scowl. "So you are here too."

His dry tone only made me smile more. "Aw, and I thought you would have missed me."

He crossed his arms and looked away. "Why are you here?"

"I am your partner for this mission." He glanced back and I nodded. "By the way, do you know where we are going? Baraqiel-sensei decided to say nothing about it and-"

"Gremory's territory." My eyes widened at the sudden answer. "We are supposedly going to guard the young spawn of Sirzechs and his _maid_."

That… sounded quite strange. Why would they need us when- This doesn't make any sense.

"And I am fairly sure that something else is going on." The host of Albion continued to speak. "Yet Azazel was very secretive about it all."

I frowned. "Well, I know that Baraqiel was supposed to be present for some diplomatic talk."

Vali froze for few moments, then he turned around fully attentive at my words. "_What?_"

"He didn't tell you, didn't he?" He didn't reply but from his previous reactions I knew it was the case.

"He should have told me!" He rebuked loudly and I sighed. "What? Do you think this is funny?"

"Quite the opposite, I think the situation is far more complicated than you think."

… "Explain!"

Another sigh. "I know that… there is some internal rebellion brewing within Grigori and the passage of sensitive info is quite difficult."

"You mean that he doesn't trust me?" He asked shocked and I facepalmed.

"I am saying that people are preparing to support some bastards and that you_, Sougyoku-san_, are being monitored by some of those."

He tensed up and started to look around. "Not now. Not during a mission. That is why Baraqiel didn't say anything about keeping quiet about what was going on."

"But shouldn't Azazel know where the traitors are?"

"If the big boss pull some shady act, people part of this rebellion will know and plan something earlier than established. Grigori isn't ready for a civil war, not yet at least."

His shoulders relaxed a little. "That sounds… smart." Vali admitted, turning his masked face to the rest of the people enjoying the ride. "Still it doesn't explain why we are here."

"Indeed." I agreed, nodding even. "And sadly, I am completely unaware of the reasoning behind our presence today."

Just as we continued with our discussion, the blue-masked youth noticed the digital sign blinking and sighed. "We have arrived, get by the door on the right side."

I frowned but complied, noticing a large button to open said door and, as it slid open, I stared at… the massive territory owned by Rias' family.

Yet there was a small but considerable issue now that I thought about it and said issue was… the fact we were flying. The whole train was flying. "How am I supposed to-" **Thud** "W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

One moment I was grasping at the sides of the new opening, then I found myself free-falling as the host of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear decided to sparta-kick me out of the train.

Of the many things I've trained, of the several spells I've learned about with both Azazel and Baraqiel, none prepared me to deal with _this particular situation._

I slowly started to turn over and over, my breakfast starting to beg some evacuation but I managed to hold over. Squinting my eyes, I saw Vali following my falling with two Dragon-like wings on his back.

**Help me!**

He slowed down a little, I could perceive the smug at the fact he was going to pull me out last minute.

**HELP ME, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!**

Finally the young Lucifer snorted amusingly and quickened his flight, catching me before I could turn in a human omelet and started to get us towards the large gates that led to the central mansion sited within the territories.

We landed and I spent few moments breathing in and out to normalize my poor lungs, ignoring the chuckles coming from the Dragon-kin and the arrival of various members of servitude, an army of maids and butlers went in two lines, one for each sides, and bowed slightly as the gates opened.

"Uh, quite the welcoming party." My comment was met with a nod by the fellow member of Grigori and we slowly started to make our way inside the large courtyard that led to the massive mansion in front of us.

Once we stepped inside the large house, we found ourselves staring at a particularly old butler.

"Welcome to the Gremory's Household. I am Horace and I shall be your guide to the room where the young Master and Lord and Lady Gremory are currently in." He bowed a little and I nodded appreciatively.

Vali ignored him, but the elder seemed to not mind the young man's attitude and proceeded to lead us through part of the large mansion, some of the windows showing some inner courtyard and the overall aesthetics were… impressive.

It was actually my first time entering the house of someone very, _very_ rich and so I took my time in looking around the rooms we were passing by.

Finally we reached a humongous living room with two long dining tables, two big fireplaces and several couches of various dimensions.

Right by one of the fireplaces a small red-haired child was playing with what seemed to be a box of… Lego?

Now that I looked closely, it was a different company but… the toy was similar. I tried to discern the constructions completed but, before I could focus on that properly, I saw the boy stopping and looking to stare who had just entered the room.

He then got up from the carpet he was previously sitting on and slowly approach us.

Short red hairs, his eyes a shade a little lighter than his locks, the young child of Sirzechs and Grayfia smiled in a friendly way.

"Nice to meet you, I am Millicas Gremory. Could I ask about your names?" And polite too, just like in the show.

I crouched a little and smiled through my mask. "My name is Hekishoku and it's nice to meet you too, Millicas."

If I remember correctly, the boy appreciated being addressed in an 'equal' way and I nailed my response by his smile widening at the way I addressed him.

The old butler coughed. "I think you should address the young Master in a more formal manners, Hekishoku-san."

I blinked and turned to stare at the old servant and returned to stare curiously at the boy, a little deflated at the words of the butler.

"So, I saw you were playing with those blocks. Can you tell me what you were building, Millicas-kun?"

His eyes widened and he nodded as he took the hand I offered to him and led me back to the fireplace much to the old man's dismay.

Kids need to be kids and… it's been a while since I played with some lego-like blocks.

And then I saw them sitting in two close couches.

Venelana Gremory, née Bael, was a beautiful woman. There weren't enough adjectives in the English vocabulary to describe the attractive figure the lady had and I was forced to look away almost immediately to avoid blushing madly at the sight.

Zeoticus Gremory looked like a professional businessman with a kind edge on his expression, probably because of the fact he was in the proximity of his grandson.

The two current leaders of the Gremory family looked happy and… fine. They were there babysitting their grandchild and… they were still strong enough to protect him.

...Why were we there then?

I gave a quick bow to both respectable members of Devils' society and they returned the gesture with a nod.

It was right in that moment that the dots connected and… I knew what was going on.

There were diplomatic talks happening right now and… Vali and I were 'guests' to the mansion owned by the parents of one of the Satans. We were supposed to stay there until the talks were concluded thus…

We weren't guarding anyone today.

Today, much to my dreadful realization, I recognized that this was a classic hostage situation, one that served to build-up the trust between Fallen Angels and Devils.

I blinked and started to quietly listen Millicas as he described his buildings, my mind focusing on a small detail about this all.

While I could accept the situation as it was a necessity, what would Vali's reaction be at the idea that Azazel had knowingly used him as an expendable piece in the big chessboard?

I could only hope that, during our stay, he wouldn't understand what was going on just like I did and maybe, just maybe, this mission will end up being a breeze…

* * *

**AN**

**Millicas, Zeoticus and Venelana will be expanded upon next chapter. I decided to make this little mission three parts long for good reasons and…**

**Yeah, shit will hit the fan once more…**

_**Future milestone: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**The Soldier of No Sorrow****: I will evaluate every possibility, but the ship section of the story is quite far from now.**

**User may be a smug prick****: Oh, the conflict ****_will_**** continue until Rias does a full change and grows up a little. Also 'Nigerundayo' works only when the user is faster or as fast as the enemy they are running away from.**

**Guest-Questioner****: A poll for the shipping will be posted once I am sure the story enters that specific section as I do wish to know the people's opinion over it. Also thank you for the kind words and support!**

**Coal Burns****: He cannot. His body isn't able to absorb large quantities of energy without first exploding in the process. (Something of their caliber will be introduced to keep up with the high powers of the story).**


	14. Clashing Forces

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 14****: Clashing Forces**

* * *

I hummed quietly as I started to play around with the blocks Millicas was offering.

Currently the general plan was to create a massive 250 blocks high tower, make some courtyard all around it and then go for a small hospital.

"Hmph." I blinked on the side, seeing Vali as the teen continued brooding in one of the couches, relatively away from the two leaders of the Gremory but decided to keep to an acceptable distance to where I was.

A power-play? Again?

I guess that this was more of him picking the 'lesser evil' inside the room and just deciding to keep close in case of any strange situation happened.

It was a pretty awkward disposition, but from the lack of annoyed reactions from both grandparents I just decided to roll with it.

The small red-haired boy blinked, eyes focused on the foundations of the tower and the developing inner-works.

Yes, I was literally spending time and effort in getting the insides of an imaginary tower to appear as 'realistic' as possible. I wasn't a Lego madman, but this time I was actually enjoying the eager interest of the young Gremory while leading the operations.

It was around twenty minutes in the work that Millicas decided to start some questioning.

"Hekishoku-san?" Red-eyes glanced my direction briefly to see if I caught his call and he returned back to the building once he saw me nodding. "I know this might sound improper but… you are not a Devil, aren't you?"

I paused just a single moment, blinking and then nodding once more. "That would be correct, Millicas."

I could see the child getting intrigued by this very small details. "But you also are not a Fallen Angel?"

Nodding again, I decided to give some more details. "That is correct too. I am a Magician."

Red eyes frowned at that answer and the boy stopped once more. "A Magician?"

"A Magician is someone that is specialized in the use of Spell-craft. There are Devils and Fallen Angels that deem themselves as such, but the backbone is made by humans with high magical attitude."

The child looked in awe at this discovery. "So they could work well with a Bishop piece?"

...Oh right, Millicas did state in Canon that he was already planning how to compose his future peerage this early.

I gave him an uncertain nod as I wasn't that much keen in studying how really the Rating System worked. I was so much focused with how things worked that I generally ignored what kind of rules it make use of.

Even through Canon explained it well, I generally skipped those parts because… I wasn't that much interested in something related to Chess.

I didn't despise the game, it was more of a dislike caused by the fact I failed to memorize how the pieces moved on the board and by the fact people seemed to have some obsession with it and compare it to real life.

"I… think so, yes." I answered. "If I remember correctly Bishops are those who have large magical reserves-"

"And are mostly revered as support units in a Rating Game." The boy nodded in agreement and I smiled at him.

"You are quite interested in Rating Games?" Another nod, this time some child-like glee present as he looked like a boy talking about his favorite sport team.

"Yes. I wish to get a powerful but balanced peerage." He blinked as I started to pat his head unconsciously, but then he nodded at the gesture.

"I bet you are going to win some of the tournaments if you keep this determination up." I commented quietly. "But do remember to be careful about every matches."

"I will." He proclaimed quickly, blushing a little at the sudden outburst. "I-I mean-"

"No, that's alright. That is the determination I am talking about." I interrupted, still patting his head. "That is what will lead you to some victories in the future."

He blinked once, then twice. Finally his smile returned and he nodded again. "Thank you for your kind words, Hekishoku."

"You are welcome, Millicas."

We shared a chuckle as we returned back to the construction block but I managed to catch a glimpse of Rias' parents glancing at the scene with a pleased look.

Vali merely glanced at what had just happened, possibly thinking little of it and surely going to forget it few minutes later.

"It has to be quite difficult for a human to keep up with the standards of Grigori." Zeoticus finally asked after so many minutes of quiet watching. "Azazel must consider you highly to have you partnered with such..."

He glanced at Vali, the host of the Vanishing Dragon ignoring such action.

"Peculiar individual."

I nodded, understanding the curiosity. "I was found by Azazel-sama." I explained. "And he trained me for the first three days after I joined Grigori."

"You have to have left quite the impression to get Azazel-san's interest." Venelana pointed out. "The man might be eccentric, but he would be this earnest only with those that manages to catch his attention."

"I did 'win' against a rogue Fallen Angel back where I live and he was impressed by my 'potential'."

The woman giggled regally. "That man, he can be quite the mysterious leader once in a while."

"Indeed dear, but I find it interesting that he decided to send Sougyoku-san too for the occasion."

… "E-Excuse me but, what?"

The Lord Gremory blinked curiously at my confused reaction but continued to explain.

"After hearing what happened in Kyoto, I asked to Azazel if I could engage the ever-mentioned by Yokai faction, Hekishoku-san, to babysit my young grandson." He paused a moment, then sighed. "He stated that he would accept the request only if I had Sougyoku-san to join you for the task."

I blinked, my confusion hardly vanishing with those words as my brain had to deal with the conflicting ideas of 'being a hostage for the diplomatic talks' to 'merely be a babysitter because I caught the interest of a nobleman'.

Paint me as clueless as Vali was right now. He looked annoyed, very confused and incredibly pissed at the idea Azazel decided to attach him to a mission that I was supposed to be the lead figure.

Blinking again, I slowly turned at the teen causing him to look back in kind as my mind did formulate a very interesting detail from that development and revelation.

"So, because I am the leading one in our partnership, at least in this mission-" I started to explain my sudden realization. "Does that make you… my sidekick?"

Vali kept quiet for few moments, his arms then crossed close to his chest and he spoke. "No, I am not."

"Yes, you are." I pressed on. "And I believe that Azazel-_sama_ did this on purpose."

"_I am not_ and he has to have done it on purpose." His tone turned stronger at the beginning before reluctantly agreeing to the second section of my rebuttal.

Just before I could keep up with the teasing, the doors of the large living room opened to make way to a familiar figure.

Millicas looked away from the half-completed building of blocks and locked onto the woman walking inside, smiling and standing up to rush for her.

The silver-haired lady paused, accepting the hug from her son and showing a small smile, a contrast to her previous stoic expression.

Grayfia Lucifuge, the wife of Sirzechs Lucifer and sister-in-law of Rias Gremory, looked prim and proper with her maid outfit and I now had reason to believe it fitted her perfectly.

It was the strange allusion to Sakuya Izayoi and the overall regal air that she had around herself that made it quite an opportune kind of dress.

The hug ended and she finally glanced at the other guests of the room and proceeded to walk slowly towards… the two grandparents of the child.

She ignored Vali's presence, mine too, and bowed slightly their way. "Lord Zeoticus, Lady Venelana."

"Grayfia. We didn't expect you to come back to the mansion this early. Did something happen at the talks? Is everything alright."

She gave a slow nod. "The talks are proceeding smoothly. I decided to leave as the discussion was turning to some sensible topics and Sirzechs-sama accepted my request to leave earlier than planned."

Then the woman turned to glance my way, I was now standing up from the carpet and looking at her as she let out a minuscule scowl.

I flinched at that reaction, knowing how her expressions meant much more than they appeared. "I do remember asking to not have any strangers to babysit Millicas. Yet, just like Azazel had informed me an hour ago, you decided to still go with this decision."

Their smiles suddenly turned nervous and I felt the need to apologize about this.

Thus I bowed slightly and spoke. "Grayfia-san, I'm sorry if my presence-"

"Please, spare me the apologies, Hekishoku-san. We both know the fault isn't yours in this situation but..." The maid frowned. "I wish to know what kind of individual I am referring to. Right now I'm seeing just someone with a mask and with a fake name after all."

I blinked and nodded. "I can see the issue, but I can't divulge my identity and-"

"I thought about offering the classic customary glass of wine to any guests of the house of Gremory." In her hands was a large red wine bottle and I narrowed my eyes at it.

I wasn't in the mood to play the 'get me drunk to make me spill my secrets' and I wasn't a fan of alcoholic beverages whatsoever as my tolerance was pretty low.

"I-I don't want to impose-"

"It's a must. As a guest you should abide to the rules of this house and… It would be improper if you refused."

She was pushing me to a corner and I knew that I wasn't going to receive support from anyone in that situation. I was in the worst predicament but it was right as I continued to despair that the solution to this issue manifested in my brain.

I blinked and smiled. "I suppose that I shouldn't be shying away from such kind offer… but I hope you understand that I would prefer to not be the only one making use of this expensive bottle."

The maid stood quiet for a moment. "You wish for me to join you? Even through I am asking you as a Maid of the Gremory house?"

"I think you are inquiring as Millicas' mother rather than the role you mentioned, Grayfia-san."

Her lips twitched, knowing full well that she did leave that small opening for me to exploit. Now she had to deal with whether or not honor her own trickery and… the woman sighed.

"I suppose it would be fair if we both discussed in an equal manner." The maid conceded much to my partial glee. At least I had a chance of having her drunk and confused before she can get me on that state.

We sat in two opposite small couches a small glass table between us where the bottle was placed with two small glasses.

Venelana stood up and took the hand of the confused Millicas in her own, leading him out of the room as she didn't want the boy to see this unfold. Grayfia nodded gratefully at her mother-in-law and she continued to focus on me.

Zeoticus merely stared with some interest while I could perceive Vali's curiosity coming from several couches away. Hopefully I can hold from any external assault as I focused on the woman.

The lady poured the red content of the bottle within the two glasses and I noticed quite the difference about the whole 'equal' deal we had struck just now.

While my glass was almost full with wine, hers wasn't even close to half its capacity. The woman had a poker face and brought her glass to her lips, sipping slowly and annoyingly.

Eyes narrowed at that challenge, I decided to return fire with fire. Picking my glass in my hands, I started to sip at it softly, quietly and, most important of them all, the slowest possible.

Her red eyes glinted at some dismay at the fact I wasn't going to fall for such a crappy attempt and the woman decided to break away from trying and literally poured some more wine in her glass, normalizing the competition and making me start drinking normally.

We both downed the content of our glasses and stared back at each other.

Our faces were slowly turning red, our eyes dilating as the alcohol kicked in pretty swiftly. My brain started to feel lighter and I found myself wobbling a little, just like the woman in front of me.

"I-I guess we should s-start talking about Millicas- hic!" A hiccup suddenly left her lips as she was talking, her eyes showing some embarrassment and I felt my lips twitch amusingly at the adorable sound.

I opened my mouth to speak about the boy but I was interrupted by my own hiccup. "Hic!"

… "Hehehehehe~"

The woman's smile twitched back to her face and she had to press her hand on her mouth to keep herself from giggling at my little chuckling.

_**Boy, this shit shure ish…. Shupa-stronk~!**_

* * *

Vali Lucifer continued to silently stare at the slow but visible drunkening of the one he knew only as Hekishoku while challenging the fortitude of the current Lucifer's wife.

It was kind of surprising to see a woman of her standards slowly descending in a state of open expression, the silver-haired maid humming amused as the fellow teen chuckled once more while melting in his seat.

"I-I-I was shaying that my shon ish-"

"G-Good?" Hekishoku guessed. "Cute, a-adorable, shmart?"

"Y-Yeah-" Finally a giggle pierced through her frail attempt to keep her composure under the influence of alcohol. "N-No, I shouldn't b-be gi-giggling."

"Why nyot?" The only human in the room questioned. "I-It was adorable, heh! I byet your hubby lovesh them."

Her face reddened even more. "H-He doesh." She admitted and nodded. "B-But we are shupposed to b-be talking a-ab-about M-Millicash."

"Oh?" Hekishoku nodded multiple times. "Yesh, Millicash is shuch a good kid. He is shmart, polite and… shmart." He giggled. "I r-repeated shmart tw-twi-_two timesh._"

She giggled again, this time seemingly forgetting about trying to avoid such thing from happening.

Vali blinked at the strange scene, glancing at the other individual in the room and finding the Lord Gremory smiling while _filming all of this with a large camera_?

The owner of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear frowned but decided to don't do anything about it. After all the scene there was worth letting some copies… spread around.

"H-He ish very precocious a-and I sho proud of him." The woman remarked, relaxing on the couch. "B-But I think I-I am not doing a-a… a good job."

Now that was… strange to hear. Grayfia Lucifuge had seemed so much confident in greeting her son and Vali was fairly sure that there was no way that the little brat was unhappy with her own mother's behavior.

"T-That is _b-bullshit, yeash!_" Red eyes narrowed at the foul response. "Millicash adoresh you, he ish shuper h-happy when you a-are around!"

"B-But he doeshn't have any friend to play with-"

"Then o-once he ish old let him go to a normal school."

The maid looked hesitant at that suggestion but decided to inquire more. "B-But wouldn't he be bullied? Wouldn't h-he shuffer?"

"I-If that ish what you ar-are scared for, then y-you could get him t-to the shame school as her auntie. I-I think I remember hearing tha-that Riash-shan went to a normal school, dunno which o-one tho."

She blinked and hummed quietly as she thought about the detailed answer, then nodded. "That- That could work- but what about w-when he ish home?"

"What a-about it?" Hekishoku asked quickly and the woman sighed.

"I-I am shtill too strict- S-Sirzechsh think I should ease up a little-"

"Y-Ya're doing fine." He interrupted quickly. "Y-Ya don't have nothing to worry about!"

"W-What if I- U-Uh?"

The masked young man snorted and slowly got up from his couch, making his way to the confused maid and… placed one of his hands on the top of her head.

"Y-you are a dummy." He said softly. "B-but you are a-a good mom, sho never heshitate anymore, 'kay?"

She blinked, red eyes slowly lifting to stare at the mask, confused, surprised and mostly relieved as the small action was finally registered by her brain.

Grayfia smiled and giggled. "Y-You are d-doing it wrong. S-Sit back down."

The teen didn't oppose being pushed back onto his couch as the maid wobbled towards him and slowly removed the hood of his cloak, exposing his… light-brown hair.

An aspect of the fellow member of Grigori was learning just now as the woman hummed a lullaby as she started to ruffle his hair softly.

"Y-you need to be a tad bit more careful or you can hurt p-people."

"I-I am jusht drunky, I-I am good at thish normally." His muttering slowly dwindled as he quietly let her ministrations silence him.

"I'm s-shure you are." The woman giggled. "B-but you do remind me of S-Sirzechsh's little Riash."

"Uh?" was the most intelligent thing the boy could ask and the maid let out a grin.

"Riash wash cute, she shtill is, but few yearsh ago she was a-adorable and she liked being patted in her head."

"She doeshn't want anymore?" He seemed skeptical at the woman's sad nod. "Th-then she ish losing a lot! Y-you are good, Nee-_I mean_, Grayfia-shan."

She paused a moment and gave a weird look to the human. "Y-You want to call me Onee-san?"

He looked up. "I-I think it fit better Neechan, c-caushe you are pretty."

The woman blushed but nodded at that. "Uh… can- can I call you Otouto, then?"

There was a brief silence and Vali took this to re-valuate everything until now.

Somehow, a mid-ranked member of Grigori was getting cozy with the wife of Sirzechs Lucifer and… he was succeeding big time.

This was surreal and illogical- yet alcohol was making things happen before his eyes.

"I-I mean, if you wish-" She giggled and nodded, continuing with her ministrations.

The situation with both still drunk and lacking common sense would continue for two more hours, by lunch-time the maid and the moron would present with everyone else for the lunch prepared by servants and both would voice out some minor headache from their idiotic competition.

At least nothing bad for the talks had happened to them… yet.

* * *

**AN**

**Some explanations before getting lynched by some:**

**1\. Grayfia is canonically a light-weight about alcohol and she is quite quick to forget this very flaw of hers;**

**2\. Her insecurity about motherhood is actually mentioned in the Light Novel, but it's never given too much scene about;**

**3\. Zeoticus, just like Sirzechs, likes to tease his daughter constantly, thus why he has a camera at hand, always;**

**4\. The third part will be by dinner time and will include the Satans, so expect lots of randomness from the likes of Sirzechs and Serafall.**

**Also yes, I did just make Grayfia a possible older sister to MC. It's quite strange when this is one of the few instances this happen where the MC isn't related to her. Leshrug!**

**And with that I go back to bed.**

_**Future milestone: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

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**User may be a smug prick:**** It depends on the kind of fucking. This is one of the embarrassing, drunk kind of fucked up. **


	15. Dining and Denying

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 15****: Dining and Denying**

* * *

My head was hurting so much…

Seriously, why did Grayfia went ahead with that stupid idea of hers?

I had expected to be granted a quick leave once the talks concluded, which happened around dinner-time, but Azazel decided that accepting the 'humble offer' from Sirzechs to spend the dinner at the mansion was a brilliant idea.

I barely held the groan building up in my throat as the minor hangover I was experiencing continued to knock at my poor brain.

Baraqiel was giving me quite the disappointed look but kept himself from lecturing me about accepting alcohol in general, while the Governor-General of Grigori was enjoying my current suffering from the way he was sending gloating smiles my direction.

Vali was silent, but strangely enough seemed to be purposely avoiding even glancing at me during that particular instance.

To make things a little more complicated for my cover, among the people dining in that very room were the 'second-in-command' to Grigori, Shemhazai, Sirzechs Lucifer and someone I was fairly familiar with back at Kuoh Academy.

Rias Gremory looked particularly tense at the fact this dinner was more important than any previous ones, fidgeting in her chair but surprisingly keeping a good composure about it all.

I was offered a teacup by one of the butlers, the servant stating that it contained something to help with my current suffering. I saw a maid approaching Grayfia too, the woman surprisingly looking just a little annoyed by the hangover rather than truly in pain as I was.

I quickly drunk the content and the effect was almost immediate. My mind regained some more perception over the situation and my logical side was restored to full, my approaching migraine vanishing instantly.

I blinked and looked back at the teacup. "That was… interesting."

"I know, right?" Sirzechs asked with a smile. "It's something Ajuka developed a few centuries ago to solve the deadly hangovers the stronger blends of alcohol available in Hell cause. That man is sure a genius in everything."

I nodded in agreement at the praise directed at the Beelzebub of the Four Satans. In the Canon Ajuka is rightfully considered the smartest individual in the universe and incredibly powerful, very close to Sirzechs in terms of strength, and the few inventions mentioned in the series were quite an appetizer for the modernity he brought to Hell.

I had yet to fully study the list of objects and innovative upgrades the Devil brought to this part of the world, but I was quite interested to find out what differences there were between Earth and Hell.

"A pity the little nerd couldn't join this delicious dinner." Azazel commented, finishing to eat the first dishes right in that exact moment. It was curious how both individuals were researchers but the Fallen Angel considered Ajuka the nerdiest. "Speaking of him, Hekishoku-kun."

I turned to look at him. "Catch!"

Frowning I saw nothing being thrown at me but, just as I opened my mouth to question what was going on, a sudden weight slammed on my stomach and forced me to fall backward with the chair.

The leader of Grigori chuckled, Baraqiel sighed tiredly and the rest of the table looked quite intrigued by what had just happened.

I slowly went to pick up the chair and pull it up, giving a deadly glare to the smug-looking man.

"_R_-_Really?_"

He snorted. "Get up and don't whine, I know that I didn't hit you that hard." I complied as he continued to speak. "By the way, check that box out too."

Frowning as I returned to my seat and started to inspect the curious smooth box made by black wood, eyes fixed on the small piece of paper seemingly glued to its top. It looked like a seal but… I don't remember any that looked like that one.

"Uh… what is it?"

Azazel smile widened. "It's a gift from the bottom of my heart."

At those words I slowly stood up. "I think I will take a quick leave. I suspect this is a bomb-"

"As much as that would actually make sense, I can assure you this isn't the case, Hekishoku-san." Shemhazai interrupted calmly, nodding reassuringly at the rest of the people by the table.

The Governor-General huffed at the two indirect jabs given with such precise succession but let his friend speak.

"This is a little creation from our research team and before you ask yes, the reason we are giving you this for the occasion is because it was discussed in the talks and the Satans are aware of what it is."

… "Any other details? That explanation was vague-"

"Sadly it was decided to not give you any other information about this gift. Consider this a reward for your good service in Grigori."

"I feel like there is more to that and-" I turned to Azazel. "Was my identity-"

"You are still a mysterious being of unfathomable potential, brat." The man replied instantly with an annoyed edge.

I sighed in relief, at least I didn't have to worry about that… yet.

"Indeed it is quite curious that you wish to keep your face hidden even after the impressive feat you managed to obtain last week." Sirzechs said with a curious glint in his voice. "One would think that the one that faced quite a large number of Magicians and protected the daughter of Yasaka-san would have bragged about this."

Blinking, I hummed quietly. "I'm fine with my anonymity."

"That is so strange. Forgive me, but don't you crave anything like money or… women." I sighed at his words, the man getting nervous instantly as he noticed his wife staring at him with an odd look.

"I'm quite content with my life and… I will be honest and say already that I don't want to use fame or glory to replace some honest hard-working." I admitted with some minor hesitation. "I also think that I would risk those around me if my real name was attached to what I do with Grigori and… that is not fine."

"A noble soul." Zeoticus commented. "It is a rare trait from someone young."

"And also quite familiar, dear." Venelana nodded in agreement. "Why, I do remember a young man many years ago trying to accomplish the same but ending up becoming quite well-known everywhere."

I frowned at that curious statement, then I saw the brunette turn at Sirzechs and I connected the dots as the man sighed at that comment. "It was because it was also convenient in avoiding some pretentious marriage contracts and, from how things turned out to be, I think I got the best deal possible."

For some reason Grayfia was giving attention to Millicas, the boy confused as his mother patted his head with a minuscule blush visible on her cheeks.

I returned to stare at Sirzechs and I found him staring back at me with a suspicious look.

"By the way, _Hekishoku-san, _what is your relationship with my wife." I could feel him focus his energy, channel it to add pressure on me. There was Killing Intent for fuck's sake and I had to stop a moment to avoid hyperventilating.

My mouth was drying up and I felt my throat tensing up, no words could leave my mind and I felt a little chocking.

This was the power of a Satan?!

Just as suddenly it happened, it also disappeared quite quickly and I found myself bringing my breathing back to normal.

"Owie- _Gwayfia-chwaa-n~!"_ The maid had a small scowl as she continued to pinch strongly Sirzechs' left cheek.

"You should be doing that to him,_ dear_. After all, this is my Otouto we are speaking of."

…

…

"O-Oneesama?" Rias was the first to recover from the words leaving the silver-haired woman's mouth and the girl's eyes darted between the now composed Grayfia and me, busy with having my hands pressing on my mask to try and silence the nagging coming from Azazel-

"How did you do that, brat?! I want the full story now."

-Vali's smug air while looking my general direction, Baraqiel's curious look and Shemhazai's interested expression.

"Hekishoku-kun and I came to a small agreement during our moment of… little-thinking." The maid started with slow but calm tone. "We decided to address ourselves as siblings for the sake of some common ground."

"So you..." Sirzechs looked confused for a moment, then realization struck. "You wish to compete with me to whom is the best older sibling, isn't it?!"

… "No."

The dry reply quickly deflated the Lucifer, the man staring at his now empty plate. "_Oh_."

The woman turned to look specifically at me and smiled tentatively. "May I address you as Otouto, Hekishoku-kun?"

I mean, you did previously but… wasn't that just alcohol speaking and…

Dangit, this escalation _wasn't_ really planned.

A blink, then two and then I sighed. "I… I wouldn't mind if you did, Grayfia-neechan."

_Grayfia smiled at that._

…

"BWAhahahahahahaha!" The boisterous laugh from Azazel was the catalyst of my sudden blushing, the man looking positively entertained by my answers and the rest of the table looked quite surprised but not unhappy about what had happened.

Millicas' eyes went wide at this development and he looked at the silver-haired woman questioningly. "Mother, does that mean that Hekishoku-san is my… uncle?"

"Surrogate uncle. Yes." The maid answered quickly and curtly and I groaned even more at the situation.

Sirzechs slammed his closed fist on the table. "I demand proof of how this happened!"

As if on cue, his father revealed the silver-colored camera. "I have recorded it."

_Wait, what?!_

"Lord Gremory, it's the utmost need for Grigori to obtain a copy of that video-"

_YOU WILL NOT!-_

"I will make sure to provide one then. I hope this is for research-" **BAM**

Zeoticus' head landed on his empty plate, a conspicuous bump forming on top of his head as his wife retreated her still-smoking fist. "Forgive my husband, he is quite extreme with his recording hobby."

Grayfia nodded. "I understand the plight." The maid agreed, bringing her own smoking fist close for her to blow over as Sirzechs was posing just like his father, even the large bump on the back of his head was there too.

The Governor-General of Grigori paled a little, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I-I think that I will wait for a while to a-sk, uh?" He turned to see who was tugging at one of his shirt's sleeve, my hand grasping tightly as the man looked confused.

"W-What do you want, brat?"

I didn't reply, merely lifting my free hand up and letting some electricity dance around my fingertips. He frowned, a little uneasy at the little light-show, and looked at the rest of his friends.

Both Baraqiel and Shemhazai blinked and turned away from him, some sweat rolling off the leader of the Fallen Angles and… then he looked at Vali.

"V-Sougyoku-kun, I request your help with-" The holder of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear stood up and approached, taking hold of the other sleeve and… Azazel's eyes widened as he felt his energy halved.

Vali turned to his fellow masked ally and nodded. "You may proceed, partner."

I nodded respectfully at him. "Thank you for your support, partner."

As the man tried to plead some mercy, several volts quickly superseded his attempts electrifying him for a while and then-

**Thud**

The man's face landed perfectly on his plate, smoke leaving his body as I nodded at the fitting payback.

_Meanwhile Rias Gremory continued to chat amiably with her nephew, Millicas glancing only briefly as this strange things happened around them and… This was actually fine. For both, this was how dinners normally devolved and they had long accepted it._

* * *

I yawned quietly as I continued for my slow walk back home.

Once Azazel had woken up from the punishment I had administered to him and having been reprimanded by Shemhazai for being overly-unruly during the dinner, the Governor-General decided to merely have me shifted back to where I left Earth, back in the now-dark alleys where once there was the teleport seal.

The bag with my things was still there and I didn't waste time to change back to my normal clothes, starting to quietly wander out of that small place and back to the main street.

There were few lights still working and the path was hardly visible at this time of the night and thus I decided to not invest too much time looking around.

There was no one wandering like I currently was and that meant less annoyances to deal on my way back home.

But just as I turned one of the corners I had to take to reach my house, I found myself staring at a very, _very_ bad sight.

Several meters from where I was currently standing, a little black-haired goth girl was looking my way, patiently waiting… for me.

I blinked once, then twice as I tried to find a way to avoid this particular confrontation with Ophis, unaware about why she would approach me of all people and now of all time.

So I decided to go for something simple, turning towards the main street and crossing it, my objective being the parallel sidewalk and, much to my relief and dread, the girl didn't decide to teleport on that section of the road to block my path _but she wasn't even where I had seen her at first._

"You are Hekishoku." She stated with her calm voice.

I ignored her and continued to walk. The girl followed from behind, continuing to speak while doing so.

"I wish to recruit you and Vali Lucifer to my group." She muttered blankly. "I wish for you to-"

"I'm not interested." I interrupted with the same calm the Infinity Dragon was displaying and she hummed at my words.

"I can offer you money, power, a chance to revenge or even _lust_." I flinched at the very idea that this being was genderless to begin with. Just like 'she' could be a little girl, 'it' could turn in an old man. That very image wasn't enticing and refusing such deal was actually easier than I had thought.

"I'm content with what I have."

The humming ceased. "Everyone wants something more." She said with such certainty. "What is that you crave the most? What is what makes your heart quiver in need?"

I stopped, waited few moments and slowly turned around, one hand still holding the medium-sized box from Azazel as I addressed the little girl.

"I wish to have my own peace from your petty war, Ophis." I stated sternly. "I wish for you to not disturb my 'silence' because you are not strong enough to retake yours."

I felt the need to tremble, knowing that a bad reaction from _her_ would see me dead instantly.

Yet Ophis gave a wide-eyed look as I turned around and continued for my walk back home, this time the being didn't gave slow chase but… said those last words before vanishing completely.

"You are interesting, Hekishoku."

I shivered as the words sank deep in my brain and I was glad that I didn't meet anyone else on my wandering.

In front of my doorstep, I pressed the doorbell's button momentarily, just enough to wake up the two guardians I had left behind in case they had fallen asleep.

I heard something crash, some 'eeping' and then loud footsteps and the door was opened by a red-faced, disheveled-clothed Issei Hyoudou.

I blinked at the following surprised outburst.

"S-Senpai. You are back!"

I nodded, curious about what happened to him. "I am and… I suppose you and Asia were sleeping until now, weren't you?"

"We were just a little tired and- Kunou-chan said that she usually sleep in your room-"

"I'm her official pillow." I interjected. "But I think I am fairly interested in how you two were sleeping there."

"W-We weren't doing anything wrong- just sleeping in the long couch-"

"Are you both clothed?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, but-"

"Then I'm fine with that." I nodded at him.

"We're sorry if- Wait, you are 'fine with that'?"

I shrugged. "You were just cuddling, I don't think that is a grave crime against humanity."

He relaxed a little. "Oh." He blinked. "_Oh_."

"Maybe you should tell Asia-chan that she doesn't need to rush anything to prepare herself?"

The blonde has to be in a panic right now, poor girl.

He nodded. "I probably should- Wait, you're right!" He rushed back inside and I sighed tiredly while entering inside, closing the door behind me.

I heard some rumbling in the living room and I slowly ventured there to see what was going on.

The brunet was chatting with Asia, the girl looking still fairly tense, and she noticed me entering, eyes widening.

"S-Senpai, we didn't do anything wrong."

"I know, there is no need to worry nor apologize." I raised my hands up to gesture both to calm down. "It's normal for two teens to cuddle together while sleeping."

"B-But we were supposed to watch Kunou-chan-"

"Ise said that she is in my bedroom, so there is no need to watch over her right now." I assured both of them once more. "Plus I think it would be fine if you stayed today."

… "Y-you mean spend the night there?"

"It's very dark outside and I would be irresponsible to let you both walk back home this time of the day. The only thing I've to ask you both is to call Issei's parents to confirm this."

The blonde blinked. "Oh." Then she smiled. "Thank you, senpai."

I nodded but, just before I could leave the room to see if Kunou was awake or not, the former nun stopped me by grasping at my arm. "Uh, Asia-cha-!" I stopped, eyes going wide open as I noticed the pout on her face.

"Senpai, why didn't you tell us that Kunou-chan had fluffy tails."

...Oh, I did forget-

"Answer!"

I blinked at the miffed blonde, the boy looking at the exchange from afar, knowing that intervening would be the worst thing to do in this scenario. "I… might have forgotten to tell you about it?"

Her stare intensified and I did feel a little nervous at the anger she was conveying in those orbs of hers.

Then, just like nothing happened she let go and looked away, her slighted expression still present on her face and making me tense a little.

"Wait, are you mad about it?"

She _literally _glared at me. Asia Argento, the sweetest soul in this whole series, was giving me a glare.

I think I died twice in that split second and I was quick to pull her in a hug. "I'm sorry-y!"

The blonde didn't reply, but she did accept the embrace and completed it. We stood there for a while and then… she melted.

"See-npai, next time you have to tell us about that." She pressed her face on my shirt. "_Fluffy tails!_"

"I'm sorry, Asia-chan. Next time I will tell, okay? Will you forgive me this time?"

She hummed a little and then she nodded. "_Just this time_."

"Thank you, Asia-chan." I said while ruffling her hair a little, causing her to giggle. "Now, go back to cuddle Ise or he might starve for affection."

Both blushed madly at my teasing but I decided to not press this advantage, merely bidding them a goodnight as I ventured right to my bedroom.

I peeked my head to see how was the situation inside and I looked just in time to see the little Kitsune yawn adorably while sitting on the bed. Her eyelids were close to drop but she seemed to look more awake the moment she spotted me, a small smile finding its way on her face.

"You are back, Niichan." Her tone was soft, but happy and I nodded with a big smile of my own.

"Just returned and… I hope you spent a good day while I was away."

She nodded and then started to tell about her day as I went to the small bathroom connected to the bedroom to change in my Pjs.

Koneko and Akeno did pass around to visit, both staying until dinner-time, mentioning some important thing they had to do before going home but still playing around with Kunou.

The little Kitsune was actually the reason why both Issei and Asia looked more comfortable with each other, having been slowly mentioning how they both looked like a happy couple and how I would approve of it.

It was strange to know that 'my approval' was actually a relevant point to give it a try for the two teens, but I guess that after having been their lives' Cicero for a little while now they could have found my acceptance a good way to see if something could actually be tried or not.

The result was spectacular and I did praise the little girl about it.

Once I was under the sheets, Kunou snuggled closer and as she tried to close her eyes her nose picked something wrong.

Eyes snapping wide-open and causing me to look concerned at her reaction, I saw her sniffing the shirt of my Pjs for a little longer… then she frowned.

"You… stink."

I blinked, confused, then I remember and looked up. "Oh, that is the wine..."

Her golden eyes snapped right onto my face at that comment. "Wine?"

"I was offered a glass of strong red wine. Early today and… I guess the scent remained until now."

She squinted her eyes annoyed. "Will it go away?"

"Tomorrow morning I will take a bath and I will be fine." I carefully caressed her fox ears and she looked happier. "Don't worry."

She hummed quietly and snuggled back, once or twice looking disgusted by the bitter smell of the alcohol and causing me to curse inwardly at not having gone for a quick bath before going to bed.

Sadly I was incredibly tired after a full day spent by the Gremory Mansion and thus I decided to push the solution to this little inconvenience to Sunday.

I sighed in relief at the idea that tomorrow was going to be a day to rest and recover, maybe even plan for the rest of the remaining month before the Raiser Arc started and… I closed my eyes and let my consciousness slip away to properly fall asleep.

_But just as Hoitsu began to rest together with Kunou, someone blinked curiously as they continued to watch the house from afar, intrigued by what they have just seen before vanishing away, promising to visit once more, this time in the morning._

_He was just… __**interesting.**_

* * *

**AN**

**There is a peeping tom! But who are they? (Wink Wink)**

**So, little crackish at the end of the first part of the chapter and I did it willingly. I know it was anime-sque and… this is kind of a story with some Anime logic until a certain point and those moments will not be a normal thing (worry not, maybe I will still do some Omakes with that style).**

**Ophis is trying to recruit MC and Vali and, while writing her 'Jehova' tactics against MC will be hilarious, I think I will cast some surprise at how Vali will react to the recruiting attempt.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites. (Someone asked to put a little Stitch EE so… why not?)**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Lambda38****: There we go, buddy. :)**

**robocoaster****: The camera was safely destroyed behind the scenes.**

**Guest 1 (Chapter 14)****: Mask is a simple, blank one completely green and with just the holes for the eye. Very simple and cheap, this latter bit will be important a little later.**

**User may be a smug prick****: The blend of Wine was of the Hellish kind. It was like being hit by Vodka (and I mean being hit) so yes, some stuttering was actually planned. Still, quite an interest branch of knowledge to be accustomed to. XD**

**vongolaseiza012****: Thank you and to answer your question and then correction: 1) It's been a while since I've seen Season 1 but I don't think it is the case. 2) I know, I mistook the honorific there but once I realized the mistake I just decided to roll with it so, yes I know it is a mistake and thank you for bringing this up. 3) The house has several magical-seals that act almost silently in hiding particular 'smells' and hide 'energy pattern'. The house itself is actually lacking any major defense as those would have been difficult to hide with the seals. I hope I was exhaustive there. :)**

**RedBurningDragon****: It would seem this was of the latter kind.**

**Guest 2 (Chapter 14)****: It's quite the paradoxical kind of beverage ain't it?**


	16. Our Happy Places

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 16****: Our Happy Places**

* * *

Sunday was a good day to be spending some time away from the possible, terrible ordeals that happened during weekdays.

Baraqiel had returned early in the morning and was still sleeping back in his room as I decided to pass time before lunch to actually study the box I had been offered by Shemhazai and Azazel.

Issei and Asia had left the house mere minutes ago, still blushing a little at the fact I now knew what stage their relationship was now, but happy enough that there was no excessive teasing nor any opposition to this development.

With just Kunou joining me with this experiment of mine, we were both sitting by the table and staring down this mysterious container.

It looked a very expensive but normal box, nothing particularly weird about it except for the strange seal glued on top of it.

My first attempt to try and 'unseal' the box was to push some of my own energy in the seal, getting only some glowing from the kanji and nothing else. I tried to forcefully open it by prying it open with my hands and avoiding touching the seal and, unsurprisingly enough, it didn't open.

I stared once more at it and then tilted my head forward to study more the seal. I had yet to study proper Japanese spell-craft, but I was fairly sure I had seen this symbol somewhere in Kyoto.

Kunou's golden eyes widened a little, realization striking the moment I voiced out this little thought of mine and the kitsune gave it a better look.

"This is a blood seal." She stated confidently, then looked at me with a some worry. "It is generally used to deter people from obtaining what is inside their containers."

"You think it's dangerous?"

She nodded quickly and I hummed, contemplating what I should do about it. "Ku-chan, get to the couch. If it's dangerous then-"

"I-I don't want you to get hurt-"

"Shemhazai-san said that it wasn't, but if it is I wish for you to take cover. Whatever it is, I will handle it, trust me."

The girl looked hesitant, unwilling to leave me in possible harm's way, but nodded begrudgingly and slowly went for the couch.

My full attention was now directed at the box and, creating a sharpened Silver Line, I proceeded to make a small cut on my finger and let some blood drops to fall on the paper.

The effect was instantaneous, the paper glowing brightly once more, this time its intensity way more than before and…

**Click**

It clicked?

I blinked as the upper side of the box softly sprung up and nothing happened.

I blinked again, this time waiting a little more and… yep, nothing happened. I finally stood up from my chair to stare at what was inside the box and I frowned at the black-themed small object I was currently staring at.

Partly camouflaged by the shade of dark similar to the one of the box, I had to slowly and tentatively pick up the small thing to get a better look over it.

It was a… finger-less glove?

It looked just like the ones the special units of a Police Force used but… only one of them?

Continuing with my careful study of what seemed to be a glove with some low-tier seals I couldn't actually get any idea how they work, I thought this was some-sort of a prank.

I looked at Kunou, the girl blinking confused at my shrug directed at her. "Is it safe?"

"I think so? I can't feel anything even remotely dangerous from it but I've yet to wear it, I guess."

She tensed again as I slowly put the glove on my right hand, the process was uneventful, yet the sudden foreboding feeling that something was going to happen felt stronger for some reason.

Finally I completed the minor task and… I felt weird. My eyes narrowed over the simple thing as I tried to understand why I felt like it was trying to pull something.

It was the same sensation one had when trying fish, pulling the fishing pole to catch a particularly big prey. It felt like it, only… deeper.

Difficult to explain but still I wasn't feeling particularly endangered by this situation. I waited few more moments, the feeling not diminishing not even a single moment and I was quick to say that… this could have been like an… extra magical battery?

Maybe the thing it was trying to 'yank away' was energy and the reason why it felt this much 'deep' was because giving energy to the Core generally left a similar emotion.

I turned again to stare at Kunou and shrugged. The girl seemed to relax, sighing in relief that nothing was happening and she moved out of the couch.

Just as I was about to call this experiment as it really was, a disappointment, the window behind me crashed loudly.

Reacting quickly, I spun around and stared at the possible aggressor and my eyes went wide open as I stared at a large light-gray orb mere moments from slamming into me. I brought my arms up, ready to tank the hit and-

"Niichan!"

An unholy light blinded all around me and I felt my knees weakening at the sudden pressure hitting my arms, the glove burning for some reason as I gritted my teeth at the duress I was experiencing.

I gasped a little as the burning glove started to seriously hurt, my hand cooking.

Finally the light vanished, instantly and unexpectedly, and I finally dropped to one knee while holding my hurting hand close to my chest as I waited for the searing pain to subside.

Kunou rushed quickly, crouching to see the extent of the damage and she blinked. "N-Niichan, the glove-" She paused, looking a little bit scared at what was on my hand.

Gone was the previously modern military glove, now a medieval onyx-shaded armored gauntlet replaced it still steaming from the previous bout of heat.

There was a small gray rhomboidal crystal embed in it and… it was glowing.

"**That was… quite unpleasant.**"

I blinked at the strong voice and I saw the girl's fox ears twitch nervously at it.

"Uh… hello?"

There was a brief pause and, for a moment, I thought it had been just my imagination playing tricks-

"**Hello, young human**."

I frowned. "May I inquire about your name… sir?"

A sigh left the crystal and then the voice spoke once more. "**I suppose from your shocked expression, you are not responsible for this annoying contraption.**" _He_ said while ignoring my question.

"I was given this construct by my superiors. I don't know what it is nor what it actually did." I admitted honestly.

A hum, then another sigh. "**This gauntlet contains a powerful quarantine seal. It is regulating the regeneration of my energy from my current soul and… I suppose it partly brought me back to life.**"

I stopped a moment to think whom I was dealing with. A creature that was once dead and was now contained within the Gauntlet.

"Sir, are you a Dragon?"

There was a pause, no reaction from the crystal but then I received a response.

"**Indeed, I am a Dragon, young human. A powerful being that once fought against Gods and paid for my arrogance. I am weak now, dull. I am just a shadow of my former self.**"

"That sounds terrible, sir." I commented. "By the way, I am Hoitsu Sakakibara."

"**Hoitsu?** **This is the first time I hear of such name, different from those that I have heard during my lifetime...**"

The cryptic tone was starting to get annoying now and I sighed.

"I know that I shouldn't be pushy, sir, but I need to know your name to properly address you."

Another pause, this time a little more longer. I glanced at Kunou, the girl looking confused but also terrified by the Gauntlet for some reason. It wasn't because she knew what kind of danger she was looking at, but because her instincts recognized that something was wrong with it.

Then the crystal broke the silence.

"**I was the Nemesis of Ra, I was known as the Primal Eclipse Dragon and a God of Chaos.**"

I paled as he continued to list his former titles, each of them reinforcing only a single name in my mind and then he finally answered the now scary question.

"**I am Apophis, Hoitsu Sakakibara, and I think we have a lot to speak about.**"

Few moments later I was lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling, having accepted the request of the Evil Dragon of answering his questions the best way possible.

Kunou had slowly accepted napping above me, her head carefully turned on my chest as her eyes continued to stare cautiously at the gauntlet currently placed away from her as my free hand continued to caress the top of her head.

"**New mythologies? I knew that the world was bigger than many thought, but to have more than three grand religions wasn't certainly something I was prepared to.**"

"It gets even more difficult if you consider that all of them have been detached from Earth's societies since a few centuries ago." I continued with my explanation.

Apophis' knowledge of the world was limited to before the end of the Egyptian dominance in the Western side of the world, thus learning that the world was now inhabited by so many different religious group was a shocker for the Dragon.

Yet I think the worst thing to learn about was that the Egyptian mythology was mostly extinct after so many centuries of being replaced by Islam and Coptic.

"**Tragic, you mean. But yes, it's quite difficult to understand why they all decided to part ways with other humans.**"

"I think it was… because of the Christian religion, if I remember correctly."

"**You mean the ones that follow the only God and shattered in three factions?**"

"That is correct, yes."

"**Could you elaborate on that? I think there is some context that could be important to know about**."

I sighed but nodded. "There was a massive War several millennia ago, the entire world was turned in a battlefield and the results was a major loss for everyone."

"**No one won?**" There was some surprise in his tone and I nodded again.

"The God of the Bible was killed, Grigori lost several powerful officers and Hell had to deal with a brutal civil war."

"**A war without victors? That sounds like a terrible waste of time**."

"I mean, yeah… but it did bring some stability. Now with a pacifist leadership in Hell, Heaven lacking the power to enforce its precepts fully and Grigori sitting by the fence and doing nothing bad, peace talks might as well happen quite soon."

There was a moment of pause, then the topic shifted.

"**I can feel that you have two different kind of energies in your body.**"

"Normal and Light-type, yes." I hummed quietly. "The latter is the result of a slow integration of the energy of the last spell of a dying Fallen Angel."

"**It doesn't hurt for some reason to be near it. Maybe it is the Gauntlet itself preventing any of it from harming me.**"

"That could be a possibility, yes." I agreed. "But I wanted to ask. Do you know why Shadow-type spells are generally too weak?"

"**Excuse me, what? I'm quite adept with Shadows and I can assure you that the power behind those is worth enough to keep up with the Light.**" He seemed particularly miffed by it.

"I mean, the spells are deadly useful in hiding or boost speed and help with stealth, but I have yet to find anything that deals some serious damage to any opponent."

"**You seem to forget that you don't have any Demonic, nor Dark Magic that can help you unlock the stronger segments of Shadow-craft. You are but limited by your current state as a human**."

I sighed. "Then I guess I will give up on that regard-"

"**What do you mean, Hoitsu? You don't wish to ascend? To become better and-**"

"I prefer to be human." I replied softly, the little crescendo from Apophis dying the very moment I spoke.

There was some silence, silence to think for the Dragon and silence for me to get some pleasant rest in that couch.

"**You would give up the chance of becoming one of the most fearsome beings this world could produce… because you 'prefer to remain human'?**"

"That is correct." There was a sigh at my clear answer and the Dragon decided to ask some more.

"**But why not? What would it cost to you?**"

"Possibly any chance to have a normal life when I will want one." I answered a little annoyed at this pestering. "Power attracts power and… I'm already having trouble trying to keep my identity hidden from the big ones in the large chessboard."

"**While I understand the logic, I do consider it weird that someone as young as you are would ignore the benefits that would come with the decision of becoming 'more'.**"

"It's not that I 'ignore the benefits'. I just think about the price of said decision, how much would it impact on my life and then, maybe, I will consider the benefits." I sighed tiredly.

"**Confusing and strange, but I guess that this is how you view things and people around you.**"

I opened my mouth to explain that he mistook my capacity to decide with my overall way to live my life when the doorbell rung quick and once. I glanced at the entrance, Kunou looking curious at the same direction I was looking at.

"I don't think it's Ko-senpai or Akeno-neechan." The blonde stated quietly.

"Stay there." I told her as I moved out of the couch. She nodded while trying to get a spot to see whom would appear by the doorstep.

I was by the entrance when Apophis spoke once more, this time in my mind. '**The one on the other side is way stronger to you. Don't try to anger them**."

I nodded slowly as I opened the door and… saw Ophis waiting outside. Arms crossed near her chest, a visible pout and irked expression, I frowned at the surprisingly annoyed Infinity Dragon.

"What are you- Gah!"

I jumped away as something incredibly sturdy hit my leg ruthlessly, almost falling on the ground as the girl retracted her shorter limb and huffed, entering the house unceremoniously and walked towards the living room.

Kunou blinked in surprise at my pained face and narrowed her eyes at the young girl stomping inside the house.

Ophis stopped just a moment to glare at the blonde, being matched in intensity by the kitsune in terms of anger and… she slowly walked and took a seat in the couch, confusing Kunou.

Groaning, I made my way back to the living room and I was greeted with a strangely restrained dark-haired girl facing some quick-paced lecturing from the little blonde.

"You shouldn't hit Niichan." The kitsune reprimanded.

"I'm angry at him-" Ophis tried to explain.

"Did he hurt you to cause you to hurt him?"

"No, but-"

"Then you are in the wrong." Kunou interrupted once more, uncaring of 'who' she was interrupting. "If you are angry, you say that to them. You don't hurt them."

Ophis_ lowered_ her head and nodded. "I didn't mean to-"

"Apologize to Niichan now." The kitsune demanded from the apologetic Dragon.

The goth girl blinked few times and then looked at me. I frowned at her and she blinked once more.

"I… sorry." She said with her usual monotone voice, causing Kunou to huff.

"Mean it!"

"Ku-chan-" The blonde glanced at me with a serious look.

"Niichan, she kicked you." My eyes went wide at what was going on and merely settled with a dumb nod her way. The girl smiled appreciatively and then returned to Ophis.

"Apologize meaningfully."

The Infinity Dragon actually flinched and stared at the floor. "I'm _sorry_..."

I think my brain just died for a moment, did I just hear her apologize with some emotion?

'**I- does your little sister have some sort of mind-control power or-**'

_Nothing of that sort, no._ _But this… this is unbelievable._

"I-I accept your apology, but why are you angry at me?"

Ophis blinked and stared up, straight at my face. "Vali said no to my offer."

"And that is my fault? That he refused?" I found myself confused, but the girl sighed at my words.

"He asked if I had asked you this and if you accepted it, since I did mention that I found both you and him interesting. I told him the truth and he refused completely, even when I offered him the power to challenge God."

I admit I was shocked by this development, knowing that Vali and I had yet to truly get to a point of mutual trust, but I think his reasoning depended on my capacity to pick the best decision. If I, someone clearly weaker than him refused the offer from Khaos Brigade, something had to have forced me to refuse adamantly at any attempt.

'**This Vali has to at least respect you to value your opinion on the matter.**'

_He is a broody thing, but he is still good… maybe._

"But then why didn't you lie to him?"

"I had no particular reason to lie." She replied quickly. "Why would I've needed to lie about it if he seemed to not consider you much."

I flinched at the truthful words and nodded. "So he decided to base his refusal from mine?"

"Yes and… that is annoying." She huffed, slouching on the crouch. "What is your 'silence', Hoitsu?"

I blinked and stared up to the ceiling. "You mean what I told you yesterday?"

She nodded. "What is your 'silence'? you said the word as if you knew about mine well enough to compare it to yours."

"It's my current peace." I replied without hesitation. "The opportunity to never be disturbed by those I don't want to be disturbed by, the chance of being content without any worry of losing what I have."

I waited and prayed. While I had some idea about what Ophis meant with 'silence', it was never fully explained in the Canon.

My theory came from the fact that Great Red's arrival caused her 'silence' to be disrupted and knowing that the Dimensional Gap was lifeless except for her until the intrusion of the Apocalypse Dragon, I knew that she meant the supreme control over her birthplace.

She didn't answer at first, looking still and distracted by what I just said. Few moments passed, then her body tensed and she looked once more to the floor. "So that's your 'silence'?"

I nodded and Ophis hummed. "That sounds… pretty."

I smiled. "It is."

She nodded and stood up from the couch. "I guess I should be going. I have some errands to do and-"

"If you want you could join us for lunch." Kunou asked out-of-the-blue, glancing my way for permission and getting a nod in return. "Niichan is good at cooking."

The Infinity Dragon paused and seemed to think about it. "Maybe another day." She looked at me. "If I can join you?"

I shrugged. "I don't mind, just remember to give some notice first."

A quick nod later, she turned back to walk towards the entrance door and I followed her by the doorstep.

"Before you go, can I ask you something, Ophis?"

The Dragon stopped and turned, quietly waiting for my question.

"Did you tell… anyone about the fact I am Hekishoku?"

The goth girl blinked and shook her head. "I don't have a reason to tell them about that."

I frowned and felt some relief at the fact I will not have to make some proper preparation for some assault from anyone from the KR.

"Okay. See you later, Ophis." I saluted and she paused again, glancing back before nodding and returned to walk out of the entrance.

"Yes, later." She muttered and then vanished, leaving me to stare at the spot she once occupied.

I closed the door, falling on my knees and letting out some breathing at the fact I had survived Ophis.

While I have been able to keep a calm composure through the whole ordeal, the idea of being in the proximity of someone her caliber had been nagging my mind for the entire situation.

One small mistake and I would have been dead. There wouldn't have been a fight, the sheer difference between her and me was far too vast to offer me a chance to survive that kind of predicament.

I sighed and saw Kunou approaching. "Niichan? What's wrong?"

She crouched again to check on me and I slowly pulled in an embrace. She tensed at the sudden hug, but she melted few moments later and completed it.

"Ku-chan. Next time you are near Ophis, you have to promise me that you will be careful around her."

She shifted a little. "What do you mean, Niichan?"

"Ophis might look like a girl your age and appear quite reserved and naive… but she is a being much stronger than me, you and… even your mom."

She tensed again. "What?"

"Just promise me that you will not engage in any discussion that might result in her getting angry, okay?"

She slowly relaxed back. "I… I will be careful, Niichan."

"Thank you." I repeated, accepting her meaningful words.

_As the two continued in their embrace, Ophis stared through the door with a blank expression what was happening and… she sighed. Looking at her hands and reminding herself that there wasn't anyone there that could truly understand her, she turned around and truly vanished._

_It was time to see how Rivezim's work was doing and… maybe catch some sleep. Yet, although she tried to ignore the scene she had just seen, part of her was now curious about something._

_**How does a hug work?**_

* * *

**AN**

**I think Ophis will be an interesting complex thing to unfold, mostly because her personality and full self was never given a complete explanation. There might be some instances of some of her quirks and how she react to some characters, but it is rare to see glimpses of her mind.**

**I bet someone wasn't considering to see this kind of 'boost' to pop-up this early on, Apophis being quite unknown to some of the fans as he has yet to be shown in the Manga and the Anime. **

**Although he is regarded as an Evil Dragon, his personality in the series is quite the opposite from what many would expect from the Nemesis of Ra, being a Dragon that place logic before battle-lust and… he hardly makes anything terrible in his presence in the show. The only reason he is considered 'Evil' is because he was back during the Egyptian dominance in Western Civilization. **_**Yet he is an Eastern Dragon with a serpentine body… mhhh…**_

**Also before anyone burst a vein at the sudden power-up, the Gauntlet is not a Sacred Gear and Apophis doesn't have his power unlocked (yet). A better explanation will be provided next chapter by Baraqiel but I can already say that it will not give the MC any major advantages until much later in the story.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Vongolaseiza012****: It will be hilarious!**

**The Last Kenpachi****: He will end up forming his little Clique, yes; There are plans for some minor X-overing and that means only some elements/characters from a series might come around. But nothing too much illogical so… Idk about her. **

**Ascandas****: I don't think there is something like 'Hell' in Hellsing, I think Alucard's wine contains blood so… no?**

**User may be a smug prick****: Bromance is planned, also 'sibling rivalry' with another character and Kuroka will be interesting.**

**Twitch****: That would have ended pretty badly for Hoitsu, me thinks.**

**Kuranodesu****: It's more of neutrality-kind of peace, the same Ophis had back when she was in the Dimensional Gap pre-Great Red.**


	17. Chit-chat with the Phoenix

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 17****: Chit-chat with the Phoenix**

* * *

Baraqiel didn't look much surprised to learn that I did manage to open the box, praising only the fact I ended up making a pact with Apophis.

His only surprise was the fact that, of all deceased Dragons with their souls still wandering around, an Evil Dragon had to be picked out from this 'lottery'. Before training a full explanation was given about the 'Gauntlet'.

The **Mystic Hand of Power** was a unique object created by Azazel's and Ajuka's combined efforts in researching a new mean to counter the existing Sacred Gears and Artificial Sacred gears, capable of storing the soul of a powerful being and filter its regenerating power within the minuscule seals that were engraved within the corners of the rhomboidal crystal.

I had to squint my eyes very hard to spot those signs and I quickly asked to the man why I hadn't been able to feel those while wearing it.

The answer was simple but… incredibly difficult in practice. While Azazel was a master in creating magical seals, one of the main issues he would always found in creating new things related to runes and seals was the limited space available.

Ajuka found a way to overcome this issue by creating special machines that were able to carefully cut the crystal without making any dangerous mistakes in the process.

Another issue was how to avoid the 'corruption' of the user's soul. While gaining Dragonic traits was regarded as something mostly positive, the dangerous flaws a Dragon had were not something many wanted to have around.

Greed, Pride, Wrath. These three things were bolstered within a Dragon's soul and it was one of the reasons why there were very few Artificial Sacred Gears that were connected to Dragons (Vritra's ones having dilutes aspects of the Dragon's soul), the users being unable to properly adapt to the hefty requirements of slowly assimilating the more dangerous parts of a Dragon's personality.

Issei and Vali were blessed by the fact their Sacred Gears were created with the capacity of removing such influence from the User and only giving out the worst traits only when the Juggernaut Drive was activated.

The **Power Gauntlet** has a completely different system compared to the Sacred Gears, Apophis being mostly detached and deterred from trying to create a magical/physical connection with me as the seals prevented him to act upon this.

While he was stored within the crystal without any of his former power, he was starting to generate energy from his soul, an attempt to regenerate his core's full capacity that was slowed down by two factors both created by the seals: A quarter of his power was being constantly filtered to my core, encouraging it to grow faster and expand even more than previously expected; A small fraction of what was left by this initial drain was then used to sustain the entire array of seals, making the Gauntlet a self-sufficient system.

Further questions about the potential of the Gauntlet were answered curtly as Baraqiel was mostly unaware of the full potential of this unique thing.

He knew that things like Balance Breaker were not integrated within it and that one of the functions described allowed the possibility to actually summon Apophis in its full dragonic form.

Of course said function could be activated only by me and, even through I was in amiable terms with the Serpentine Dragon, I was unsure that deploying him now without his strengths would have been a hindering factor or even a good way to get backstabbed.

_Paranoia, take the wheel~!_

As our chat continued, the topic started to change to some others that were particularly important for me.

"What is the situation about Kokabiel's rebellion?" I asked to the Fallen Angel. "It's been a while since I heard the last news about what Azazel was doing about it."

The man sighed. "There had been some quiet moving of some groups of the various cadres in less important bases, but the process is still going to take few more months before we are fairly sure that we are ready."

And that was bad. Kokabiel wasn't going to offer 'few months' and will be attacking Kuoh in more or less two months from now, which means that the quicker he is defeated the better the chances of avoiding open rebellion will be.

The rogue elements will still be dealt with after Kokabiel was removed, knowing that they will try to flock at the Khaos Brigade and cause some serious damage at the Coalition in the upcoming war.

Hopefully the KR will be weak enough to be fully stopped by the time they will 'reveal themselves' in three-four months from now.

Anyway, after thinking about this little planning I decided to inquiry about the training for that day and I was replied with a fist slamming on my face.

Falling on the ground, I felt still dizzy from the sudden punch, narrowing my eyes at the smug look on Baraqiel's face.

"Today we will pick up the pace as the next few weeks will be quite the interesting ones."

'**Is he usually this serious?**'

I blinked at Apophis' words. _I think he is a little more serious than usual, now that you point it out._

And indeed the Fallen Angel proceeded to go several steps beyond his usual pacing, ending up to draw the training session up to two hours longer than usual.

The man smiled eagerly at pummeling the shit out of me, but I was glad to see that my attempt to survive that onslaught weren't as meek as I had initially thought those would be.

Nodding at his praising and slowly walking away from that demolished training ground, I made my way back to my bedroom and, few minutes later, I found myself cuddling close with Kunou. The fluffy tails and her warm, soft body were enough to bring some comfort to my sore body and the girl seemed glad to get some long sleep compared to the one of the day before.

Monday was going to be quite normal, hopefully.

* * *

Yawning at the growing stack of paperwork I had to deal today, I glanced at the clock attached to the wall with a tired look.

Monday was as uneventful as I had hoped, the day passing without any major issue or problem regarding the supernatural world and leaving me some time to enjoy this period of normalcy in peace as I prepared for the approaching Arcs.

The interesting detail about this whole situation was the fact that the ORC had yet to make another appearance, keeping quite neutral and quiet about the whole 'arranged marriage' thing and staying away from me most of the time.

Akeno and Koneko confirmed their interest in joining Kunou and I for lunch, something I was already sure of and merely nodded absently.

Trying to finish the white mountain of paper with the use of my shining pen, I ended up alone in the Student Council's classroom, part of the Council have gone to deal with some issues with the Swimming Club regarding the pool being vandalized, while the section made by the assistants and other younger members like Saji went back home as usual of this time.

Another yawning left my lips as I finished another group of this endless madness of paper and ink, but this time my little monotony was interrupted by someone knocking politely and softly by the door.

I glanced up at the already open door and stared at the young man waiting there, smiling a little and nodding my direction.

With blond locks covering his head and partially hiding his dark-blue eyes, I blinked at the curious individual wearing old-style noble clothes. It wasn't the 'ancient' kind of old-style, more like the early 20th century kind of style some aristocrats would have when donning their clothes, a little militaristic but still sober enough to not get annoyed by it.

"I'm sorry to disturb your activity, sir." The blond started, sounding quite apologetic. "But I wished to ask if I could request some assistance in finding a club in this school."

I nodded slowly. "Sure… but may I ask you first which club are we talking about?"

"The Occult Research Club..." He blinked thoughtfully. "I think that is it's name, my only interest is to have a chance to speak with the club president-"

"Rias Gremory?" I interrupted quietly, my mind slowly connecting the dots and forming a name out of the individual in now looking partially surprised at my reply.

_Ruval Phenex_ nodded with a smaller smile. "Yes, that's her name. I can only suppose that you know about her thanks to your job in the Student Council."

"Initially yes, but then one of my Kohais decided to join her club and thus I had the opportunity to speak with her on some limited basis."

The Devil blinked. "Interesting. Then I suppose you could lead me to the classroom that hosts the club as the matter I wish to discuss with her is quite urgent and important."

I nodded once more, my mind losing some time as I was still trying to understand the mere fact that this polite individual was the brother of the birdbrain that wanted to marry Rias.

I know that some siblings have different personalities and sometimes even opposite ones to each other, but this was turning out to be quite… confusing.

To think that a bastard could be related to this prim and proper nobleman was mind-boggling even more now that I was dealing with Ruval.

It was by the time that I closed the classroom's door behind me that the blond remembered to introduce himself.

"I almost forgot-" He bowed once more, a regal smile in his place as if an act done and redone. "I am Ruval Phenex."

I nodded. "Hoitsu Sakakibara." I stretched my hand towards him and I waited, noticing almost quickly a lack of reaction at my sudden attempt to interact with the man.

He blinked at the hand and then nodded in realization. "Oh, forgive me, I wasn't expecting to find someone polite and-"

"You could say that prejudice is quite overrated, Phenex-san." We shook hands. "But I think I should start to lead you to the club-room. You did say it was quite an urgent matter."

He nodded and soon I started to walk through the Academy's hallways with the blond on tow.

The walk was brief but the resulting closed door with small sign saying 'Closed' left us both particularly confused. "Generally the clubs end a little later than now… I suppose they had something important to skip it and-"

"It's fine, sir Hoitsu." The heir to the Phenex family nodded, his expression filled with some dismay but he still looked calm. "I guess I will try another day and-"

If Ruval ended up missing the chances of talking with Rias, whatever the motivations driving them and whom he wanted to support, the redhead would end up missing the opportunity to gain some ally for her current plight.

I sighed, knowing that this will surely come to bite my ass and then spoke. "I know that I shouldn't be meddling about private affairs, but I do find myself inquiring the possibility those private affairs are somehow related to the 'arranged marriage' situation she is dealing with."

The Phenex paused a moment, frowned and nodded slowly. "That is..." He didn't finish this first sentence. "Did she tell you this?"

I nodded. "She wanted to know how to deal with the situation since she didn't want to go ahead with it all."

He smiled. "Interesting. Then I can only guess you know about the importance of the marriage's contract."

"I do." I replied quickly. "But I think that there are some details that I find… strange. Same with your brother, I have to admit."

He raised an elegant eyebrow at that last comment but still nodded. "Truly? Would you mind if I wanted to further address this matter on a more private location?"

I nodded and soon I took him by the former teachers' lounge, a place that was still taken care of even after decades of being left untouched by the staff.

The place had a working fridge, a coffee machine and the water bottles there were refurnished weekly. It was a strange expense, but some of the older students appreciated this place to spend some time to study.

I opened the door and invited the Devil inside so we could spend some time about Raiser.

We sat on two of the four couches, one at the opposite of the other, and soon the interrogation started.

"Before we begin I would like to ask the utmost secrecy about this encounter." The heir to the Phenex clan stated. "I don't want my intervention to be known to anyone _unpleasant_."

I nodded. "I can accept that but only if the same courtesy is extended to me. I don't wish for people to know about my knowledge about… the 72 families and much more."

He looked surprised. "So you know more than just the marriage?"

I merely nodded and that seemed to calm him a little.

"Then I guess you know even more about why this is truly important for the family. The Phenex clan require some powerful blood to bind the Gremory and our family together."

"I know that pure-blooded Devils are still suffering from some issues about procreation, but I don't think there is the need to promote an arranged marriage with both clans having seconds in their respective lines." I replied, gaining a nod towards me.

"That is indeed correct, the 'emergency' that was repeated to motivate this marriage is actually a smokescreen for anyone plotting against us. An attempt to not be called out while we tried to form a strong alliance." He explained with an empty smile. "I did ask father to be more subtle about this in the contract…"

"But the problem isn't the writing style used by Lord Phenex. I think the issue is that one of the clauses was breached by your brother _prior_ to its creation.

He frowned, his smile disappearing. "Could you elaborate?"

I nodded, a small smile forming. "I had the chance of glancing at said contract and I found, just as I expected, that the 'Virginity' clause is not directed only to Rias, but also to your brother."

There was some tense air now within the room as I knew the man was trying to remember the content of the contract.

'**I thought you didn't read any contract. You did say that when explaining to me the situation**' Apophis butted in and I found myself smiling even more.

_And that is the thing, I didn't actually read any contract, but by the end of this discussion, Ruval will have a 'nice chat' with his youngest brother._

'**Oh? How exactly are you planning to do that without evidence-**'

"But I think that was unavoidable with the little harem he got." I mentioned loudly enough for the Phenex to break out from his thinking.

"Did you just say 'Harem', sir Hoitsu?" His jaws were dropping as I nodded.

"Why, his peerage. Of course that would explain why he never trained them properly and… why they are all women with an _affectionate loyalty to your brother_." More nails for Raiser's coffin? More nails, indeed!

"H-He is just a loving Master trying his best to keep everyone in his peerage happy-" His tone was hesitant, possibly because he knew he was climbing on some mirrors there.

"But training? Isn't that also important?" He didn't protest this questions. "What about the fact he has _14_ _females_ in his own team?!"

There was no reply, Ruval looked particularly distracted because of what I had just told him, but I knew that my work was only half-way completed. There was something missing, something that would easily close Raiser's chances of not getting some beating by his older brother.

"And I find it curious that the Phenex family would accept something even close to incest."

The mere mentioning of that word caused the entire room to become the chilliest place on Earth, the blond staring right back at me with a furious look. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not referring to everyone of your family, Ruval, but rather I was referring to Raiser." I was putting quite the effort to not tremble at the Killing Intent I was being washed with. "I mean, what kind of rumors would come out from the fact that from his harem/peerage his bishop is actually Ravel Phenex?"

… "C-Could you repeat that?" The pressure disappeared altogether, the man looked shocked and paler than before. "I- What do you mean my little sister is in his peerage, Sir Hoitsu?"

"That she is currently his Bishop in his peerage. She is something of the strategist of the team… considering that Raiser is busy with _something_ else-"

He lifted his open palm up for me to stop. "E-Enough." He seemed particularly shaken, just like I wanted him to be. "I- This will require some investigation."

"Please do, Ruval. I think it's time for someone as honest as you are to do something about this indecorous attitude." He nodded, getting up from the small couch as I followed him to the door.

"Could you please escort me back to the entrance? I think this visit could be concluded there."

I nodded. "Of course." My tone was smooth and comforting as I led the young man back to the Academy's entrance. Just as we arrived to the glass doors, I spotted from afar a large car with obscured windows waiting by the gates.

I waved at the retreating Phenex, my smile widening at the idea I had purposely destroyed a bastard's life as it was fit and-

An-And-

'**Hoitsu?**'

I was shivering a little, eyes wide open as I continued to stare at the car.

'**What is going on? An enemy or-**'

My heart started to beat faster, unmerciful as I felt it, a monster lurking and waiting for my death, for my annihilation and-

'**Ohi! Why are your eyes red?!**'

It was instantaneous, I felt my feverish state vanish instantly at the sudden yell from deep in my mind. I blinked at the comment and… I turned around, walking inside the school.

_What was that?!_

'**You are asking me? I am the one trying to make sense what got over you for few moments.**'

_Maybe the seals are… a little loose?_

'**That wasn't something from me, Hoitsu. Just go and ask Baraqiel for help, there is something… familiar with what you did there but… I don't know**.'

Gulping nervously, I went on my way back to the Council's classroom, ready to finish the paperwork, go back home and then get some rest.

Whatever just happened…

_**It felt like I was a completely different person!**_

* * *

Ruval sighed as the door of the car closed, the driver starting to move the vehicle away from Kuoh Academy as the Phenex tried to sort out the thoughts after what had just happened there.

Hoitsu looked like a trustworthy, down-to-earth kind of person that wanted to achieve great heights. Someone that looked similar but also different from the man sitting right on the opposite row of seats, having some trouble with the roof's height and his own.

Sairaorg Bael huffed while trying and failing to find some balance in that uncomfortable suffering he was dealing with by being there.

"You know you could have asked for a 'taller' car, Scion Bael." The blond mentioned, his mood still damp after the talk he had ended that visit.

"Maybe I like the challenge this situation is offering." The bulky individual stated readily, getting a dry glance from the Phenex.

"Or maybe you are too prideful to accept you can be dumb." Ruval stated quietly, getting another huff from the Strongest Youth.

The reason this visit had happened was mostly because of Sairaorg himself. Having heard from his aunt about the situation, the Imperial Purpure decided to see if the words about Rias' marriage were true.

Out of curiosity, the heir to the Phenex clan decided to join in with this little research and, while he got quite the harsh news that he was still digesting, he now knew that the concern from the bigger man was justified.

"By the way, Ruv." The fighter started, giving a serious look. "Who was the dude by the entrance, the young man that led you out?"

Ruval frowned and blinked. "That was Hoitsu Sakakibara. I would say he is a knowing bystander of these grounds that has quite the knowledge over the political landscape of Hell."

Sairaorg nodded at the brief description, yet he looked still interested. "But do you know what race he is? Is he a Devil, a Dragon or-"

"What are you talking about? Sir Hoitsu is a mere human and I can assure you of that having been able to study his energy pattern." It was ridiculous to consider that student to be something different than human, he was far too weak to be-

"I think you were distracted but, his power spiked briefly and… I admit I am impressed at how close he was to my current level."

… "I think I didn't hear you correctly, did you just say that his power 'spiked' close to your own?"

"That is correct, Ruv." The bulky man continued. "Few moments ago I wanted to jump out of the car and fight that impressive individual but..."

There was a strange pause, then the Strongest Youth explained. "But it all vanished the moment he glanced at me. It was a strange occurrence but… I think my mere sight did threaten him away from revealing his power." Now Ruval gave him a serious look, those comments starting to leave him concerned.

"Do you think he wanted to attack me?" The legitimate question was met with a negative shake of the man's head.

"There was something happening for his power to unfold, he looked wicked for a moment, then he looked confused and _mortified_."

"Mortified?" The Phenex pressed for more details.

"He looked like he didn't want to 'flex', but he did it all the same. It was like he was lost in a sick daydream and then woke up from it the moment he felt me."

"So you don't think he is a possible enemy?"

"Dunno." Sairaorg replied quickly. "From what I saw I can say very little about his overall attitude. Did he seem anytime trying to harm you or something?"

"Actually… no. He seemed quite courteous and helpful. Until you said that I couldn't spot anything unnatural about him." Ruval stared once more at the Bael and the man nodded.

"I guess I will have to see him personally to draw a proper judgment but… not now. It is far too early and… there is still much to do."

The Phenex nodded, closing his eyes as he decided to get some rest.

His future encounter with his family will be…

_**Fiery.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Something is indeed wrong with Hoitsu but… what could it be?**

**There is an original plot that will replace some bits of the story, after Kokabiel, and nobody will expect the antagonist for that arc. (P.S. It's not Hoitsu!)**

**Expect deceptions from everyone and everything, expect novelties and old stuff resurfacing and… expect something unfair but smooth.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**RoachVit****: Yes.**

**Flameclawsxx****: The fact that 'Big G is dead' isn't a completely unknown fact to the higher sections of Mythology. Yasaka is connected to Amaterasu and the knowledge of 'His' death is known by Kunou already via her mother. She actually rushed to help Hoitsu while he was in pain and I don't know what you were thinking about the plot there. I'm sorry if I… left you confused?**

**EvilDemon00****: Yes and it will be super-crucial in the near future.**

**EstarossaTheBasilisk****: I never said that he was devoid of attention, only that he wanted to have some peace from what he would get if everyone associated the feats committed by Hekishoku to his name. The 'Spiderman' case in its full glory, only fact being that the acquisition of power, the change of his state to something different from human or even showing something 'weird' will lead him to lose any semblance of a safe house. The reason why Akeno and Koneko are 'interested' to him is away from the idea he is 'something unique' but rather, he is normal but very good with people like them. He is actually training physically, I did write twice that he has been training his body, not just his magic, to keep up with the whole power growth. The reason he is acquiring power but presenting a neutral attitude is because he doesn't know if Fate could come in to screw him up. What if a different character, an unknown element from the show decided to appear and target him directly? Then you mentioned Dulio (Human with powerful Sacred Gear- then Reincarnated Angel) and Cao Cao (descendant of the legendary hero Cao Cao and owner of the True Longinus) which I don't need to explain how the comparison is quite unfair. Those two aren't humans that had vast potential of growth because of some BS powerup they had since birth.**

**Evyplayz121****: I know, I like my chapters long too but I've yet to break the 10k wall and… it's difficult. Still thank you for your kind words!**

**Ruberforumfree****: It's more the fact that the MC is trying to get less attention by splitting it via secret identity (which works partially). If he became a Dragon, a Devil etc etc. his whole cover would blow up massively and have his house invaded by unpleasant people. He will get stronger, the Gauntlet being the first of the many things that will elevate his power to massive levels.**

**StoryReiter****: I aim to surprise… always… even myself.**

**Topimalaya****: The Gauntlet nullify the weaknesses via seals.**


	18. of Happiness and Dread

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 18****: Of Happiness and Dread**

* * *

The walk back home was surprisingly tiring.

My body felt just like when I was trying to get the Light-type integrated in my Magic Core, the only differences being that I was facing a minor case of running nose and what I could only assume were the symptoms of a common cold.

Passing by the nearest pharmacist, I was quick to get a medical mask and the proper medicals to treat this sudden sickness which I was clueless about its causes.

While I knew that in that brief moment of fever spurned by feeling a sudden powerful energy triggered something within me, I was completely unaware what exactly had happened back then.

I could feel the entire energy contained in my Core fully manifest in that exact instance, a sudden flex that over-exerted my whole body, my bodily temperature spiking with the same speed and leaving me a little bit tired, confused and with a headache.

Groaning, I dodged another light pole, my perception of things hindered by a small sense of dizziness developing and further making my return quite difficult.

There were moments I had to pass around a large crowd of people, my headache worsening as I felt my sense of direction deafened by the heightened sounds of the urban life going around me.

'**Still, it's quite curious what had happened back at the entrance of the school. I couldn't feel anything close to a possession or some attempt to mind-control you from external energy and yet your sudden change of attitude looked just like someone took over you.**'

It was worrisome that even Apophis was unknowing about what caused this phenomenon to happen, that sudden rush of anger, fear and primal need to either fight to the death or run away from the monstrous threat hidden in that vehicle.

And that is ignoring the foul thoughts I had over the situation with Ruval. While Raiser warranted cruelty well-equalized over his own 'sins', I still felt that the reasoning at a certain point during that discussion switched from justice-making to sadistic pleasure.

That wasn't part of me, the only times I could possibly get this blood-thirsty was when the subject in question had committed something heinous and beyond anything forgivable.

Yet this rage was still there, the boiling sensation present inside my chest but lacking a clear target.

I sighed in relief once I unlocked the lock of the door, slowly pushing it open as I ventured inside and-

"Niichan!"

_Oof!_

Kunou smiled as she tackled me, almost sending us both to the ground with the suddenness and the strength behind that embrace.

A small smile appeared, hidden behind the mask as I started to pat her head. "Ku-chan."

She giggled and started to get up, her face twisting in surprise and concern once her golden eyes fixed upon my face.

The girl blinked. "Niichan, what is wrong? Are you sick?" She started to straddle onto my shirt and I sighed.

"Just a minor cold. Nothing dangerous, but I think you shouldn't be this close to me right now or you might get it too." She nodded, still looking a little bit worried as she took two small steps away.

I saw two individuals peek from the doorstep that led to the living room. "Do you need to rest, senpai?" Koneko's usually stoic look was replaced by some concern, then I glanced to the other head peeking and-

"Oh, you have a minor cold, Hoitsu-kun ~?" A chill went down my spine as those words left Akeno's lips, her eyes narrowing in an intrigued light at this development.

The good news of this situation was that Koneko didn't have any exam for this week, thus letting her enjoy some free time she wanted to spend around Kunou. If before the two had been close, now they looked inseparable and I could easily see that the silver-haired girl had become something of a big sister for the Kitsune.

The Nekoshou enjoyed the moderated questioning of her kohai and the blonde herself was glad to have someone close to her age helping her around with homework and other curiosities.

With the two young girls closing up to Kunou's room, I was left to deal with an opportunistic woman like the Himejima.

Akeno might have ditched after a while her sillier and more extreme attempts to get my attention and win the intense chase, but if I knew enough of girls with her peculiar mindset then I was fairly sure that I was going to get 'nursed back to health' by her.

Not only it was a good intervention that helped her score some good points for my graces, but also offered a chance to get to explore the intimacy a nurse had with her patient.

There was also the fact that 'small accidents' about peeking over some clothes and other indecent things were 'easy to justify' if ever caught by said patient.

I was going to deal with quite the issue if I wasn't careful around her.

'**She looks quite beautiful, I would even dare to say she would be the ideal woman if you give her even a small chance to prove it to you.**'

I snorted inwardly at the dragon's comment. _You mean the very daughter of the man that is training me? The woman that enjoys whipping people around to a sexual degree?_

'**A little bit of whip isn't**-'

_I will ignore the crap you were about to say, Apophis._

The being huffed. '**Not an issue, yet I still stand by my ideals.**'

Is there even a dragon that isn't even a little bit a pervert?

'**It's all about perspectives, Hoitsu**.'

Archiving this little chit-chat away to never be brought up to my poor mind, I found myself being attentive of the girl's actions around me.

Surprisingly enough, the Himejima held her hand from action during the preparation of the lunch, twitching once or twice while glancing my way but doing nothing worth of suspicion.

A quiet but happy time lasted for the entire lunch, Koneko mentioning how she had slowly tried to integrate the way she studied math with other subjects she was struggling with and how the results had been quite positive.

Just as I expected this situation to end up with me dealing with Akeno alone, Kunou decided that today it would have been a good day to break this habit.

Sitting on the large couch in front of the flat TV this house had, we decided it was a good opportunity to spend some time watching something new.

Thus I decided it was time to test a theory of mine about the Nekoshou's possible interest and… hopefully I will survive through this.

Taking out a small DVD case, I put on the Blu-ray device the small disk and waited for the TV to load it.

The screen turned black as a familiar opening began.

Few hours passed and I slowly recovered from by sudden bout of sickness, my skin regaining some healthier color and my body feeling less sore and tired.

Still I was unsure if Phantom Blood would have gained some interest from the girls but right as the credits of the last episode rolled in, I found myself comforting a sobbing Kunou as the kitsune latched at me for some reprieve.

While there was a general liking for the protagonist that was Jonathon Joestar, the blonde was the one that got the most attached to him. Since they both shared similar backgrounds, the little girl found herself cheering for the first Jojo almost as quickly as he was introduced.

The adventure, the various characters that were befriended or beaten and finally the bitter finale for that chapter of the Joestar's family.

Patting her head, Kunou had her face buried deep in my shirt, incredibly angry at seeing her new favorite character pass away like this.

"Kunou-chan, there is no need to cry. After all this is just the first part of the series and… I am sure there could be other good characters." Akeno shifted in her seat and slowly took the blonde out of my hold and into hers, the little girl looking surprised with her eyes going wide as she was softly hug by the Himejima.

The difference was the kitsune now had some extra pillows to rest her head, which she accepted without much of a fuss, resting a little in that hug.

I stared at the scene, at how content the older female looked while carefully keeping the blonde in her embrace and.. I felt someone tugging at my sleeve.

I blinked, turning to see Koneko looking quite distracted and nervous. "Do you need something kohai?"

The girl didn't reply, her eyes carefully lifting to stare mines for a brief instant, then she moved.

Eyes going wide open, I looked down at the sudden soft hug I was receiving. The silver-haired girl was tense, as if she had completely forgotten how one was supposed to initiate an embrace and looked ready to retreat from the seemingly failed attempt.

'**Why she seems this hesitant? It's easy to see that she want to be close to you in a familial way.**'

_Her sister went 'mad' with power and left her after killing most of their family and leaving her to deal with the following fallout._

'**That is quite the sad story.**'

She opened her mount while slowly moving away, trying to apologize for the sudden embarrassing situation she froze the moment my hand reached for her head and my other one went to bring her back in the hug.

Her tension deepened just a little more, eyes going wide a little at the returning embrace.

"It's fine, Koneko-chan." I whispered quietly. "I am not going to hurt you."

My words slowly sunk deep in the girl's brain, an acceptance to her need to be close to someone, the need to have some nostalgic happiness back in that simple gesture.

Her eyes closed, head slowly tilting to my chest as she nuzzled a little to enjoy the relative closeness.

Some moments passed, the Nekoshou enjoying every single instant of that little hug and then our little peace was interrupted by someone tackling us both.

A golden missile jumped between us and infiltrated the embrace, Kunou giggling a little while basking in the warmth of both. I looked up at Koneko, the girl snorting at the sudden intrusion but refusing to budge at it, conceding to this group hug.

I was glad to see that the silver-haired girl was finally showing a little more of herself around others and I was blissfully unaware that someone was plotting right behind me.

A chill went down my spine the moment I felt two soft cushions pressing on my unprepared back, a pair of soft lips reaching for my ear. "_Ara, Ara, is Hoitsu-kun enjoying the hug of three maidens ~?_"

My cheeks reddened instantly, and my entire body tensed at the sudden glomping of the giggling girl behind me.

Kunou looked confused at my sudden blushing, while Koneko glared at the Himejima for ruining that innocent moment. There was a simple smile well wide on Akeno's face, but I soon learned the worst had yet to come.

Her hands hovered above my shoulders and reached for my face before I could react to it all.

"Nwo!" The young woman started to pinch my cheeks, some giggling fleeting her mouth as she continued to painfully play around.

"W-Welp!" I tried to call for support, but the only thing I got from the small blonde bundle latched at me was giggles, Koneko having turned to the side, trying to be neutral about this but failing to hide with her hands the amused smile twitching in her face.

The terrible torture lasted two more minutes and I my cheeks were now glowing red once more, this time in a show of pain.

"I'm sorry, Hoitsu-kun, maybe I shouldn't have been that much harsh with the pinching." The Himejima said with a mock-apologetic tone. "Maybe I should redeem myself by doing something that _will make you laugh_."

I frowned at those words, but as I tried to respond I found her hands descending to the sides of my torso and start to tickle it mercilessly. She giggled again, expecting to find an instantaneous reaction out of me.

I couldn't blame her, everyone would laugh at being tickled the normal way. But sadly that figure is wrong as… _only a majority of everyone_ _laughed at being tickled_.

And I wasn't part of that.

Few seconds passed as she continued with her ministration, possibly expecting me to be holding back from letting out my chuckles… then I turned around and I glanced at her with a vindictive smile, my cheeks still hurting.

She stopped, her jaws dropping and looking suddenly quite nervous. "N-Now there is no nee to-"

But it was too late. Kunou shifted onto Koneko's lap as I fully turned at the panicking Himejima and started to return the favor immediately.

I pinched her cheeks, the girl looking comical as I stretched the pinching a little, making her look even funnier. "So, is this fun?"

She couldn't reply because of my ministrations and then… I switched to the tickling.

I admit that at that point, things escalated a lot. Since she was being treated with the tickles, her body obviously tried to move away from my fingers, forcing me to follow her as she slowly made her way towards the end of the couch and-

**Thud**

We both fell on the ground. I spun around, catching her before she could truly hit the floor, using my own body as a pillow.

Sighing, I stared at her face, part of it hidden as she was pressing it on my shirt. My entertained expression shattered in confusion the moment I saw her entire face burning red, her breathing was erratic and she looked a little dizzy.

What was wrong with her-

'**Wait, if she is Baraqiel's daughter, does that mean she is also a-**'

_Shit!_

I had completely forgotten about the masochist trait the woman had inherited from her father, thus everything I just did until that point led her to-

OH MY GAWD, NO!

I looked away quickly, face exploding in red as I realized why she looked this happy.

"T-That was… _amazing_." Akeno finally spoke, her tone strained as she was recovering from… that.

I looked back at the couch, Koneko looked as confused as Kunou was and I felt blessed by the fact only the two adults in the room knew what was going on.

_Goddammit Akeno…_

* * *

Baraqiel was clueless about what had happened few hours ago by the fact he looked perfectly calm and normal when he entered the training field.

If he had, I would haven't had the time to even think about the possibility of him knowing or not because the punishment would have been administered swiftly and mercilessly.

So, before the session would begin, I decided to explain him about what had happened back to Kuoh Academy minus the encounter with Ruval. I preferred for that to be a secret, especially with the heir to the Phenex family knowing if the information had been revealed by me or not.

"A sudden and unconscious burst of energy? You mean that your body obtained new power without reason?"

I shook my head at the queries. "I know it was from my Core, but I don't know how and why it happened so suddenly. It felt like I wasn't controlling my body anymore at a certain point and Apophis said my eyes went red-"

"Stop." My voice died down at the order, the Fallen Angel approaching closely, his open palm pressing on my chest and I quickly felt some energy coating my whole form.

The process lasted more than two minutes, the light covering my body mildly warming during it all.

I blinked in surprise at the unplanned analysis spell, kind of confused and worried by the fact he didn't bother to warn me before going with this but I stopped myself from asking as I knew whom I was referring to.

Whatever got the man this worked out and panicking, it had to be important and-

"A sliver." He sighed in partial relief. "To think that it would found its way here in your body of all places… there is still some time to act but..." He paused again and turned at me. "Tomorrow you are skipping school, kid. We have important places to go to."

I frowned, more confused by the Fallen Angel's stressed expression and tone at saying those words.

"What do you mean- What kind of place-"

"Sadly, I can't disclose where we are going, but the people we will ask help from are good ones." He replied quickly, leaving much of the whole situation unknown to me.

That wasn't giving me enough and I was getting particularly tense now that I knew that something was indeed wrong with me. "Good enough to not get back-stabbed or good enough to make a good job?"

Baraqiel merely smiled. "They are former students of mine, I can speak volumes about their capacities and you will like them."

I sighed and nodded at the strong defense the man had over this group of people. My mind was racing to try and find whom could fit with a group of people which Baraqiel had taught too.

Not anyone I particularly know from the anime series, yet there was something that sounded similar about the manga.

There was also a blurred picture forming from these lines but I couldn't get a clear one, only blurred.

Nodding at his orders, I decided to move to the training part of the discussion. "So that means we shouldn't train today or-"

The Fallen Angel _laughed_ at what I was trying to say, forcing me to shut up and frown at such reaction. "You seriously think I would skip a day to get you prepared for the future?"

Laughs subsiding, the man presented three large books and passed all of them at me.

The moment the tomes reached my waiting hands, I felt a cloud of dust forming from the minor impact, causing me to cough a little. "W-What are those meant for?"

"I think you have reached a good level of physical training, but your body is still limited without the help of something a bit more… _mystical_." He explained, still smiling as he went to take a seat on the side.

Meanwhile I took a glance at the title of the top book in the pile and blinked in surprise.

"Senjutsu?"

Baraqiel only smiled, leaving me to understand what I was supposed to do with something like this, knowing full well that a false step with the meditation and… I was going to lose control.

_**He had to pick now of all times to teach a technique about self-control?!**_

* * *

**AN**

**You know what I mean about when I write short chapters? **_**A fight is coming soon!**_

**I admit I went a little fluff there, that is why there is little content in this chapter, but next one will contain a very interesting fight and chase with people from the same universe.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A! (Quick notice: The Reviews are not appearing on the website, not even in the moderation tab of my profile. Dunno what is going on with FF server but hopefully things will get better.)**

**Blaze2121****: Some epic fighting that might or might not expand the current universe.**

**Evyplayz121****: There is something a little more complicated. It will be a major plot point.**

**AnCapBukharin****: It would seem like my own dark self follows from Victoria 2. Heh.**

**Night-Stryder****: Nah. There is nothing intimate between the two, but there will be a deal exposed by Ruval about why she remained untouched.**

**Darkjackal248****: Not corruption, something to possession (It's not Apophis). Also thank you for the support!**

**Twitch****: The Ara Ara won once more… partly.**


	19. Fighting for the Right Darkness

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 19****: Fighting for the Right Darkness**

* * *

If someone were to ask to a young Tobio Ikuse that he would have ended up working most of his waking hours serving to a bar after facing so many threats, the answer would have been fueled by confusion.

But now that he was one of Grigori's top fighter and led a modest-sized group of strong people, the God of Blade was more than happy to have a place to find some rest away from 'real work'. Starting as a barista had given him some new challenging time, but the hard-work paid well and he managed to find his little haven away from the constant fighting.

It was a peaceful bar, the Black Dog was meant to be used as a place to rest for him and his team, their headquarters just around the corner. The establishment was provided by Azazel, the man deciding to reward Tobio for his loyalty and good work with the Fallen Angel.

After finishing cleaning the umpteenth used glass in his hands, the young man let out a yawn, the night before having dealt with some slime infestation forming in the attic of the building. It had been a surprise, then Azazel let out that he might have forgotten to fully freed the building from the prior administration that monitored slime's growth.

It was early in the morning, and there wasn't any client at this 'unholy' hour while he finished to clean the last few bits left on the counter.

Jin was stalking around, the large shadow-like wolf stopping once or twice to sniff around the various empty tables around. The big mutt had whined more than a few times that the lack of serious brawls was leaving him even more annoyed than usual.

And Tobio couldn't fault him.

While he enjoyed being away from danger and listen to some interesting and unique stories of the recurring clients to the Black Dog, it was also true that some serious fight wouldn't have been a terrible thing for him to experience once in a while.

Then there was also the fact most of the old group from Nephilim Institute had grown distant with him, several of them either diverting their full attention to their work in their important jobs, while others had different responsibilities to deal with, responsibilities far away from Grigori.

He sighed, remembering the interesting promise Suzaku proclaimed few years ago.

The Marriage Proposal that the girl had decided to give to him had remained burned in his brain, but he had from the very beginning make sure that nothing from his attitude would move towards that direction.

It wasn't because he didn't like her romantically, nor the familial bond between them hardly mattered with his biology adapting to his Longinus and rendering their blood relation almost null.

It was all about the fact such commitment wasn't something he knew he could face at that age and with so many worries in his head.

The Institute and Grigori were still recovering, he had yet to fully grasp the final potential of Canis Lykaon and he received similar attention from other girls in his classroom.

A confusing mess that ended up persisting until graduation and his official enlisting in Grigori's ranks.

Missions had drown him away for few months, then after his promotion a small team he nicknamed 'Slash Dog' was created, then it turned in a pseudo-cadre and…

Tobio regretted how things turned up with his limited and lazy attempt to avoid that kind of attention on him, many of those that cared for him either hurt by his ignoring attitude or merely went through a path distant from his.

The bartender sighed, his mind reshuffling to happier thoughts as he tried to focus back on reality, noticing just now the glass almost slipping from his hold. It's been two years since he had last seen Sae and three since she had seen Suzaku.

For now the present will do to keep him from his regrets and-

Jin tensed up a little, his search stopping instantly as his head snapped to look at the door. Tobio's eyes frowned at the strange and sudden change of mood, trying to understand if the large wolf-dog was perceiving a threat or not, the only absolute thing being that there were few energy patterns slowly making their way towards the Black Dog bar's entrance.

Putting the glass down and freeing his hands, the young man waited, his body slowly taking in a minor guard stance as he saw unrecognizable figures slowly opening the glass door and triggering the door-bell, which announced their presence to the occupants of the building.

The two individuals entered calmly, their sight almost instantly locking onto him as his own eyes widened in shock at whom he was looking at.

Green eyes narrowed at him, an older Sae Toujou huffed at the lack of response from the Ikuse at their arrival. Her hair was combed short, and her body had developed in a slim but somewhat athletic form.

Suzaku brought a hand over her mouth as an amused giggle escaped her mouth. "Ara, Ara, It would seem like Tobio-kun is quite awed." Her voice was melodious as ever and her beauty had bloomed even more since he last saw her. Her curves were a little bigger, but still she had that hourglass figure that she rocked back during their time at the Nephilim Institute.

"S-Suzaku-nee and Sae-chan?" The bartender asked distractedly, causing the Head of the Himejima clan to pout.

"Tobio-kun, you know that you can call me 'Suzaku-chan', right? I am going to be your future bride after all." The light-heart correction spurned two full blushed for the other two individuals there to listen.

"B-Bride?" Tobio asked again, surprised by the goal still living after this much time of being distant from each other.

"Y-You aren't his future bride, Himejima!" The brunette replied a little angry. The soft bickering was actually one-sided between the two, Suzaku nodding quietly and waving at her while looking away with a smug smile.

"Sure, sure~." Another giggle further irked the researcher at Grigori while the young man couldn't help but smile at the nostalgic scene.

It's been a while since he has last seen this two sharing the kind of scene he was looking at. There was a time it was a sign of annoyance back at school and during his early years, but now after so much time it was just… funny.

"And don't think I've not seen your smirk here, Tobio-kun, I will take care of your after I finished with her-"

"Oh, and you will use kisses and hugs to fight the cruel smile off his face?" The teasing was light at best, but the effects were easily devastating for the easily irked Sae Toujou, the blush intensifying on her face as she returned to focus back to the Himejima.

Some time passed but soon the two were sitting by the stools near the counter.

Questions about health, family and current life situation was filtered to the three long-standing friends, but it was one question in particular that got them pause a moment to think about.

"You mean that Baraqiel didn't tell you? I would have thought the man would have spoken to you first about this little meeting after so many years to formalize it." Sae pointed out, only to be met with a long and tired sigh from Suzaku.

"I think the reason is within the words he used while calling us. Did he mention that he was bringing his two new students with him for the occasion?"

The brunette blinked. "He… did?"

"And did he also mention that one of them would need some important ritual to cleanse away a dangerous element forming within his soul?"

"He di- Wait, what?" Sae's eyes went wide, same for Tobio as the young man stopped finishing cleaning once more, this time a little panicking.

"You mean that Baraqiel is bringing someone that could potentially trash the bar and-" His panicking increased, the owner of the establishment quickly trying to put the exposed bottles and glasses out of possible harm's way, in drawers or behind shelves but-

"We are here!"

The booming voice that only a particular Fallen Angel could muster was preceded by a thunderous noise, electricity burning part of the carpet at the man's feet.

Tobio slowly turned around, a nervous smile on his face as the three former students of Nephilim Institute noticed that Baraqiel wasn't the only one there.

Shaking a little under both his arms were two masked individuals, a mask of green and one of blue.

"Next time, we pick the train." The green one stated, his tone showing some motion sickness at the sudden teleportation.

"It's not that terrible, Hekishoku-kun. Am I right, Sougyoku-kun?" The Fallen Angel asked with a hopeful tone directed at the aforementioned 'Sougyoku', the blue-masked teen.

"I saw rookies..." He paused a moment, hands pressing on his mask. "-D-Do this better than you, Baraqiel."

"Oh." The man was saddened by the lack of support. So sad that he dropped both cloaked teens at once.

**Thud**

**Thud**

"_Why?_" Hekishoku asked while holding his stomach, only to be totally ignored by the Fallen Angel as Baraqiel focused on his former students.

"It's good to see you three here. And I'm glad to have arrived before you could leave, Tobio-ku-"

"You aren't going to cause any destruction to the bar, sensei. I don't know what is going on, but I am not paying for any reparations." The Ikuse firmly stated, gaining a giggle from Suzaku and a sigh from Sae.

"Don't worry, brat. I just wanted to see you all while also dealing with this little inconvenience." He turned back to the now standing masked boys and nodded. "Speaking of which, I present you my current students."

* * *

So this is the Black Dog bar? I thought this was supposed to be smaller than this size.

Getting woken up by a giddy Baraqiel early in the morning had been an atrocious experience that I will make sure that will never happen ever again. Being forced to rush through my morning cleaning and to put the Hekishoku disguise, I had just some moments to say 'Good Day' to Kunou before being whisked away with the Fallen Angel.

Just like every time I tried to be teleported, I met the ground with my face, cue some groaning and dizziness at the brief warping around me.

I thought this was supposed to be the place, since the man had spoken only about going only there and nowhere else before. Sadly, I was proven wrong when we found ourselves staring at a surprised Vali, the boy was masked but I could see his body tensing at our sudden appearance.

"B-Baraqiel, what are you doing-"

"Change of plans, Sougyoku-kun." The man interrupted. "This way is faster."

Without any of us could protest the Fallen Angel's logic, he picked Vali and put him under his free arm, energy coating us once more as we all shifted away from that deserted street.

Recovering from what followed next, I tried to scan around the establishment, finding it interesting that we had to come here of all places.

While Slash Dog was a powerful fighter proficient with magic, I was quite sure he wasn't an expert in 'helping' with whatever situation I was dealing with. Yet, just as I finished looking around and found Baraqiel making way to show Vali and me, I had to take a large glance at the curious and voluptuous woman in one of the stools.

I could see Sae Toujou staring weary by her side and Tobio Isuke over the counter looking at us with a curious look.

But it was the intense and fixed look of Suzuku Himejima, the current head of the Himejima clan, that was scaring me in that exact moment. It was directed at me, not at us,_ but at me_ of all people present there.

'**She looks familiar to the other girl, the daughter of Baraqiel.**' Apophis mused in my mind and I sighed inwardly.

_That is Akeno's cousin. She is the current leader of the clan and strongest holder of the Vermilion Bird._

'**That is good to know… but I think it's happening again.**'

_You mean the- Uh-_

Red eyes narrowed, her lips pressing together as she seemed to be reflecting about something about me, since her attention was fully taken by me.I felt nervous, incredibly so as she slowly got up from her seat and started to walk towards me.

_Oh God, is that what you were talking about?_

'**Yes...**'

I was trembling a little, my mind burning the more steps she took to approach me and for a moment I questioned bailing out from that situation.

Yet I stood my ground, shivering, feeling feverish but waiting for her to arrive. There was something wrong, something _incredibly wrong_ that was tried to control my actions and I had to muster my whole being to keep the probing out from gaining an upper hand.

Finally I felt her hands carefully grazing my neck, her face staring softly at my face, a small but kind smile on her face. "Are you in pain?"

Her voice was a little relief through that terrible predicament I was dealing with and I nodded shakily. "I-It's li-like a fever."

She blinked. "I bet it's the same for both body, mind and… your core?"

I frowned behind the mask, eyes then widening when I indeed noticed that my core was burning a little with energy. My whole figure was glowing white as my whole magic was manifesting at the 'threat' I was going against.

"Worry not, Hekishoku-san. I will make sure that whatever is torturing you is dealt with as quickly as possible." The priestess stated, looking then back to the bartender. "Is there a room we could use to perform the ritual, Tobio-kun?"

The man looked confused for a moment, but then nodded at seeing the woman giving such a serious look at him. We were slowly escorted to the upper floor of the building, a large area that seemed to have been left unused for a long time now.

The room looked to be a normal European-styled bedroom with a small bed, a medium-sized wardrobe and a wood desk on the side. I couldn't resist being put on the bed, the woman asking everyone to leave us both alone as she started to treat my situation.

Considering the universe I was in and knowing how a relatives of hers would behave in this situation, I was almost ready to call an attempt to my V-card, but then again I considered that this individual in particular had more reasons to not do such things. Suzaku was more interested in Tobio, her moral compass being one of the purest compared to the entire cast of characters of the DxD series and she was extremely devoted and careful with her job as priestess of the Himejima clan.

I relaxed a little, glad that my mask was still on but kind of bummed that this was going to end up being a simple situation that would see me stuck in bed for-

"May I ask why you are staring at me so much, Hekishoku-san?" I tensed a little at being called out, a little blush adding up to the feverish one.

"J-Just t-thinking about s-someone t-that looks like y-you, Himejima-san." I admitted, causing the young woman to pause briefly as she finished setting up the objects required for the ritual.

"Indeed?" She asked curiously, glancing back at me. "I hope you are in good relations with her."

"K-Kind of." I sighed. "She c-can be just… annoying o-once or twice i-in a while."

Suzaku giggled. "I guess many girls that be that way, but I do feel like you are still fond of her."

"S-She means no harm, a-at least not for ill intent." I continued. "B-But yeah, she c-can be nice when s-she wants to."

"That's important, you know?" The woman added as she returned back to my side. "Sometimes those people just need some more love."

I snorted, ignoring the surprised blinking of the Himejima as I contemplated giving Akeno some extra 'love' during a normal instance. She would take it as an invite to bring me to bed and seal the deal rather than me being a helpful hand in time of needs.

"That much difficult of a person?" She sounded interested now and I nodded.

"Can b-be that, yes."

Some silence followed, the sleeve on my right arm was rolled up as Suzaku slowly started to press her index over my skin starting to softly pressure the coils stretched in the limb through the entire length of the arm.

The action served to manually force the energy to back away from there and back to my core and, completing this section, she moved on the other side of the bed, doing the same.

"I wish to tell you already that a purification contract like the one Baraqiel requested restricts me from revealing your identity and anything you wish to say about it." The priestess declared as she finished with the other limb. "I need to access to your face directly, so I can put you in a safe sleep while I work on the purification ritual."

It was an acceptable request, having read briefly about rituals of that kind before going to bed the day before. Some important rituals required the subject to be put on rest, thus allowing the exorcist to finish their duties without any issues that could be created by the subject themselves.

Thus I sighed, slowly helping the woman to remove the mask and… frowning as she wasted some time staring at it.

She blinked, a little surprise from the look of it and then I let out a fake cough. She blinked again, this time getting back to reality. "Sorry, just… not expecting someone as young as you are to be already working with Grigori."

"I-I am can be p-pretty sturdy and s-strong." I reasoned, my tone a little whiney. Then I decided to make use of that little opening offered by the ritual contract and sighed. "A-Also the girl I was t-talking about… is related to you."

The Himejima paused just a moment while placing the mask away. "You mean that you know-"

"She is the Queen of Rias Gremory's peerage." I interrupted quickly. "I know that you are seeking reconciliation with her, but I wouldn't advise trying to tackling the issue directly."

"That… that is some beautiful news." The woman admitted with a smile, eyes glowing a little happily.

"I-If you need to pass h-her a message, j-just contact Baraqiel and p-pass him what letter y-you wish to s-send her."

She nodded again, thankful but now shifting her focus back to the spell to make me go in my 'happy place.'

"B-By the way, my name is Hoitsu-" My eyelids got heavier suddenly and I let out a brief yawn. Hoitsu… Sakakibara."

Suzaku giggled. "Nice to meet you then, Hoitsu-san… and sweet dreams."

Darkness took me moments later.

* * *

My eyes stared at the wood table with a light above flickering every once in a while.

I was sitting on some-kind of chair, that I couldn't recognize the material that it was made of. The place was damp, I could see some puddles of water in the irregular ground around me.

Looking around, I tried to understand where I was exactly and why this place felt familiar.

"2009, school trip to the local caverns near our hometown." A voice echoed in the darkness, forcing me to try and pinpoint it. "We were eleven-years old and incredibly bored by most of the things we would learn at school. The caves were an interesting place where to go after we first visited."

"Those had been abandoned for years, only I would end up visiting in the weekends to draw- but how do you know this? Who are you?" I looked even more frantically, but finally I heard something else.

Loud footsteps breaking the cacophony of silence, I saw a figure slowly making his way from the shadows and walking towards the chair opposite to mine.

The lone light started to reveal small parts of this individual, starting from the elegant shoes, then the dark-black pant and finally the black jacket that opened to a white shirt and a dark-purple tie that was perfectly made around the familiar man's neck.

My eyes widened, my face paled and the familiar stranger didn't seem fazed by my reaction as he calmly sat down and turned to stare at me with a composed look.

He blinked, his dark-brown eyes partially hidden by the light reflecting on his glasses. He looked quite regal, but also tired and annoyed by everything in general.

"I know that you have several question about my current appearance, _Hoitsu Sakakibara_, but sadly the time available for us is extremely limited and it's crucial for you to hear what is going on here."

I gulped nervously, there was a demanding but polite tone in his voice and I decided to see _what_ I was talking too.

"If I have to give myself a term that perfectly describe what I truly am, then I think **Your Soul's Shadow** is the appropriate denomination. But if I have to be simplistic, I am your **dark side**."

"My… dark side?"

"Your 'truest enemy', your final opponent, your permanent rival and… the other side of the medal that is your soul." The young man explained some more. "I am what many would fight in this dire situation, being that the thing that is currently rotting away at your morality is a dark side of sort… but it isn't your original one."

"Okay, what the fuck are you talking about?" I asked from that insane explanation. "I know that you are interested in making some complex speeches, but from my understand we are in a limited window of time."

He nodded, eyes widening but a small smile finally appearing. "That is correct, I suppose I could go ahead and paint out what is the guilty part in this dreadful predicament."

A small projector turned to life as light splashed on the wall on the side, a strange figure caught in the picture. It was coated in darkness, eyes glowing a pure white as its teeth pointy and hungry.

"The Dark Side of an individual is created out of 'dark emotions' and energy unconsciously used to filter those out of their mind. Generally speaking, the energy then accumulates and grant autonomous consciousness to the accumulated emotions, creating a fragment of the soul that is meant to exist in a normal circumstance." He stopped and sighed tiredly while staring at the projected image.

"With me already existing and being already mature, the energy required to 'give me intelligence' was much less than usual, but the soul failed to recognize that a Dark Side was already present and… created a new one, a childish one, one that strives to destroy and never recognize its worth and importance within your body."

"You mean that… there are currently two Dark Sides in my soul?" What the fuck was going on here?!

"Wrong, but legitimate question." The man nodded and continued. "There can be only a Dark Side in someone's soul and the resulting threat to us is… a tad bit more complicated and BS than you might think."

"Try me." I quipped swiftly, unaware of the regret I was going to deal with after hearing the answer.

"Do you know how Dragons are formed?" He asked rhetorically, making me slouch and stare in shock at him.

… "_What?_"

"You have dealt with quite the stress in the last few months, your very core furnishing this new dark creature within your soul with fresh energy and, given enough time, it managed to fully create itself within your soul, ready to break free and wreck havoc left and right."

"Dragons are formed from _large_ amounts of energy and certainly not within humans-"

"Not normal dragons, that explanation is valid only for normal ones." He replied flippantly. "There is only a single case, a theory we once heard of and we found ourselves agree to back while browsing around this fandom. It was stupid but also held some merits..."

My mind went through a rush, trying to figure out what the doppelganger was talking about, but failing to grasp anything remotely helpful for the situation.

Then my eyes widened and all color left my face as I did remember **that** theory I had thought about as a strong possibility.

"I bet you know now, don't you?" The young man sighed. "If the God of the Bible was revered as something infinite and unbeatable, how exactly did he get tired from 'deploying thousands of seals' upon Trihexa? Where did Trihexa came from to start with?"

… "From God." I replied blankly, a single clap of hands confirming my answer.

"Indeed! A single moment of weakness at the wake of the Great War and the Apocalypse Beast was created." The being looked happy at the reply, but sobered up quite quickly.

"Then the reason Baraqiel said that he felt a 'sliver of it', was it because-"

"He could feel something _similar_ to Trihexa, possibly thinking of some connection between it and us but… we know that could be a long stretch even for a theory." He interrupted again, this time a grimace on his face.

"Then what is currently causing my feverish state and the sudden drain of my core is that bastard?" He nodded and I groaned. "But then a ritual wouldn't work, we need to inform Suzaku-san!"

"If we wake up, we could end up accelerating the awakening and that is… pretty bad." The young man countered calmly.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" I asked loudly, making the elegant man flinch.

"Fight it here where it is still vulnerable?" He shrugged. "I mean, we would be playing home and it would work and… that is why I brought you here."

I blinked in confusion and the counterpart sighed. "Look, I know it sounds like a trap of the non-Astolfo kind, but we are stuck in a crazy new world and with very few people to rely on. I don't ask you to abandon yourself to my cooler side, but I wish that you consider the fact I don't wish to control your body, I seek to help you."

"Why would you refuse that? Why refuse the chance of be free?"

"Because I wouldn't be free? The moment someone notices that I am 'free', I would be jailed and put under test to see if you could either be brought back or if this phenomenon could be done once again with other people. That isn't freedom."

"So you wish to… ally with me?"

"To treat me as an equal would be an unfair thought." The Shadow admitted with a sigh. "I am the still minority to your absolute majority, soul-wise, and I would prefer something similar to the Ichigo-Hichigo's King-Servant kind of relationship without the angsty and the rabid undertone."

"What?" I asked in confusion, but just as the word left my mouth the entire cavern started to collapse on itself, forcing me to close my eyes in sudden fear.

It took me just an instant to notice that none of the rocks starting to fall from the room had gone down on me and that I felt several gusts of winds gracing my clothes and face as I _was descending from a very high altitude above my hometown_.

I saw my doppelganger free-falling at the same-speed I was, grinning while this was happening. "Pick your choice, my Liege, let me lease you my strength against-" **ROAR! **"-Jeez! That bastard is truly causing some issue over there."

My eyes followed the direction his finger was pointing at and widened when I saw the monstrous creature madly destroying everything on its path. Just like it was described in the Light Novel, this pseudo-Apocalyptic Beast had numerous heads and wings from several different animals in it, slashing, biting and stomping as it tried to cause the most damage possible.

_**An abomination even among Chimeras.**_

"How do we fight it then, _partner_?"

The Shadow's smile widened big time as he turned his head at the monster. "This is your world and it can't use any of its possible attacks other than physical. Have some fun while I support!"

What was that supposed to mean?

I shook my head as I focused on the first issue I had to deal with: I was still free-falling.

My head turned back to the young man and… my jaws dropped when I saw him pull out an umbrella and open it up, only for his fall to be literally slowed down to a slow and acceptable speed while he waved my way.

_**This is your world!**_

I hope this isn't some BS mind-scape kind of thing…

Sighing for a brief moment, I slowly adjusted myself and _pushed myself forward_.

The effect was instantaneous as I started to fly right in the directions I wanted. Eyes glowing in child-like wonder and mind rebooting at the insanity I just pulled, I spent some moments to contemplate this situation and… I returned to focus on the Beast.

I landed on some destroyed concrete ground, the formerly clean highway now shattered and destroyed. Eyes set on the humongous monster, I crouched a little, hands drawn to one of my side and forming a sphere as I started to chant a very familiar and more-than-needed word.

"_Kaaa-_

_meee-_

_haaa-_

_meee-_"

I could feel the blue sphere of pure destruction fully formed and I saw the creature stop to look back at me. **ROAR!**

It started to rush, quickly, madly and panicking as I finished my chant and unleashed unholy fury over it.

"**-HA!**" A blue wave of energy was released from my palms slammed rapidly against the approaching monster, clashing against its momentum and starting to push it away from me.

I wasn't feeling any strain, but I could feel something akin to energy flooding my body as ended the first attack on the list.

A large section of its large body sported now a gaping hole caused by the Kamehameha passing through it and going beyond.

Its roars were now softer, pained and its moves looked unfocused. It was already weakened!

Just as I was about to go for my second attack, I saw a magical circle encircle the recovering beast, causing it to lash out in fear and fury away from it. Or it would have been the case if several black-colored chains didn't keep it still for a while.

_**That is Suzaku-san's trying to purge it. You should weaken it even more without moving it from the current position.**_

And that meant getting closer and deal with it personally. I groaned as I knew that now I had something to worry about in that dream-like situation.

Flying again, I rushed towards the head that were trying to break the chains away and was opposed by a lion- and a snake-like ones.

I quickly lowered myself below the reptile one and punched its chin, while kicking the feline one away and launching an explosive blast at its neck, severing the first of many heads.

A sudden rush of attacks between wings and heads started to keep me busy and attentive, the difficulty rising the more of those joined in for the macabre dance.

Sever this, explode that, punch those. The combination wasn't something accomplished in the same order, but the results were nothing to scoff at.

After several minutes of intense focus, I noticed a detail I had ignored for a while. The more heads and wings I cut, the more of those would appear to replace them and… if there were several animals mixed with it, it wasn't excluded that a Hydra's ability to regenerate was there too to cause problems.

Thus I stopped attacking, my attention shifting back to a possible weak-point I could exploit as the chain was starting to crack under the pressure and the seal was far from completed.

I dodged several biting attempts while in this search and then I found something interesting. Deep in that mess of necks, I could see something trying to pass unnoticed but still stealing some glances my general direction.

Approaching closer, my eyes widened in surprise as a lick of fire tried to consume me before I could get a proper look at this strange spot, forcing me to dodge around and… see a monstrous one-eyed dragon-head still glaring my way.

Was… Was that the main head?

A furious roar, the very one that had echoed until now left the open maws of the beastly face, forcing me to bring my arms up to resist the powerful gust of fire following it.

A bubble-like barrier formed around me, diverting the flames away until those ended completely.

"My turn, ugly fuck!" I brought my hands up and slowly created the very technique that should have featured in a very good movie.

"**Big Bang-!**"

Warm energy started to accumulate in a large orb of cerulean light, going beyond the time the normal Kamehameha had needed to form and several heads and wings rushed my way to stop me from completing the attack.

But sadly for the abomination… it was too late.

"_**KAMEHAMEHA!**_"

The world around me exploded and I was suddenly slammed away from the beast's body, yanked away in the air as several heads slammed on the ground while the seal glowed brightly and engulfed the whole monster before it could regenerate from that powerful blow.

I landed several meters away, staring at the light purging the beast and erasing it in white mist.

"That was some good work, King." I blinked and turned around at the approaching doppelganger, a small odd smile on his face. "Yet I would have preferred that you 'restrained' yourself rather than go nuclear on that fiend."

… "What?"

"Who do you think is going to fix this stuff now?" He spread his arms to gesticulate the city around us or… the quarter that managed to survive the devastating attacks I had unleashed upon the monster.

"I'm… sorry?"

The man snorted and merely facepalmed. "Just… next time we get invaded by some apocalyptic leech of the headache kind, I would prefer just 'a little bit' of restraint from you, King."

"If you want, I can help-"

"It's not needed." He sighed and smiled once more. "No need to spoil the victory here and deny you the chance to get back to the real world to not cast some suspicion and… _have fun._"

* * *

I found myself brought back in the soft mattress that I had left from in the real world, eyes blinking a little to adjust to the light of the room and… I saw Suzaku looking a little drained. Breathing a little erratic and posture a little bent as some sweat had formed in her forehead.

Red eyes looked at me and I smiled at her nod. "T-The ritual is done and… this ended up being more difficult than I thought it should have been. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore but… I feel better."

'**You seem radiant. Are you sure everything's alright?**'

_I'm feeling great!_

_**He is just giddy because he blasted the issue that was causing the sudden fevers.**_

'**That is good to kno- Who are you!?**'

_**You mean me? Well… there is a lot of explain and I'm technically fixing the chaos left behind by the battle but I assure you Hoitsu will tell you everything.**_

_It's kind of weird but… We have a new voice here._

'**What?!**'

* * *

**AN**

**6k of pure chapter. I told you the short one was a prelude to a massive one.**

**Also some brief explanation: I have planned some better reasoning about why MC's Dark Side is this 'nicer' compared to many others and it will be given… in two chapters from now.**

**Next chapter will conclude the visit at the Black Dog bar and I'm considering putting a real fight there, but I'm still considering.**

**Lastly, the day after tomorrow I will upload an Omake. I thought that I would have been able to upload yesterday, but I got busy bc of RL stuff and couldn't do much about it.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**ThatIdioticMelody****: Fluff will be essential once the KR will attack. Something about recruiting people from… ****_different places_****.**

**Blaze2121****: Touki can be developed in two ways, 1) Either intensively training for years (E.G. Sairaorg) or 2) Train in Senjutsu first.**

**Guest (Chapter 18):**** Until you mentioned it, I didn't even know something like that existed, but I do plan to integrate some other stuff from other 'verses. I was referring to a sliver of Trihexa.**

**Fenrir of the North****: It is more to avoid enemies coming at home. Just as I said to someone else already, it's the Spider-man/Superman case.**


	20. Fairly Unjust

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 20****: Fairly Unjust**

* * *

I hummed a little as I slowly led the tired Suzaku Himejima out of the small room where the ritual has happened, the young woman still tired from the draining process and requiring some assistance to move around.

The priestess was thankful for the support and I was smart enough to not lose myself in watching her sweaty form. As much as she was extremely beautiful, the mere idea of ogling now of all times felt not only disgusting but despicable and dishonest.

Thus most of my attention was directed at cautiously move around the creaky wood ground of the hallways that made the upper floor of the establishment. Now that I had this little issue solved, I was quickly noticing that things felt much clearer than before.

My sensor capacity felt distinctly heightened, my body felt revitalized and my core seemed to purr contently while I first tried to check if things were now alright, electricity cackling within my fingertips for a moment before I got off the bed.

We finally descended through the staircase that led back to the first floor of the bar, the sight to the large room that housed the various clients hidden from the end of the stairs by a simple wall with a connecting door by the far left side.

Once this was opened, I was graced with a scene I had not expected to see back to the bar.

Vali was trying to claw at Tobio while at the same time dodging an attack from the black sword his opponent was holding in his hand, the man's body was covered by the Balance Breaker of Canis Lykaos and he had an irritated snarl plastered on his muzzle.

I blinked at the scene, but my confusion was diverted away back to the Himejima when she sighed tiredly. "I think I now know who is your companion." The comment wasn't made out of feeble evidence, the holder of Divine Dividing was using Albion's wing to bolster his current reaction speed against the clearly faster Ikuse.

"I should take you to safety first..." _And then I will deal with what was going on over there. _

The woman nodded and I proceeded to slowly go through the corners of the little battlefield of broken tables and chairs while eyeing the counter, Baraqiel shaking his head at the two brawlers while Sae was groaning in her hands.

Once we were there, Suzaku smile and nodded thankful as she took a seat back in one of the stools, giving me the chance of ask to the Fallen Angel what was going on.

"Sougyoku-kun decided to poke fun at Tobio-kun and ended up bringing a sore memory of my former student." There was a minor flinch on the man's face at the mentioning of that predicament, causing me to frown in renewed confusion.

A sore memory? Maybe something that had yet to appear in the Slash Dog series?

The LN was still leaving some questions about how things ended up like they were now, but whatever got the bartender this worked up it has to be something incredibly delicate. Tobio is far too chill in normal situations to be enraged by anything simple.

"The moron should learn to let go." Sae continued. "I'm still here and it wasn't his fault."

I tilted my head on the side, trying to understand the few words from the childhood friend of the Slash Dog and… I returned to watch the fight.

Tobio looked particularly winded, but not even close to concede a defeat, while Vali looked quite weak as of now, his reaction time sloppy and his ragged breathing that we could hear from this far were signs that he was close to collapse.

"Why isn't he using his Balance Breaker?" I asked softly, confused at the lack of the white dragonic armor.

Baraqiel sighed. "He did try to use it, but Tobio-kun's speed and claws shattered it before it could fully form."

The limited space offered little opportunity to pull a proper Balance Breaker without getting intercepted by the semi-rabid steps of the werewolf-like enemy. Jin was also stalking around and giving support with his own sword where he could, further aggravating the Vanishing Dragon's chances of getting some counterattack going.

"Why would he even try to go for a fight with someone he knew he was losing to?"

I turned at the sudden silence and blinked in shock as I found myself looked at with a deadpanned look from the three senior members of Grigori. Then I realized and sighed. "It's his cockiness, isn't it?"

"Yes. I reckon your partner is quite… an idiot in this kind of situations." Sae muttered, shaking her head in disappointment.

I shrugged helplessly as I had little control over the boy, but as I was about to ask something else a yelp caught my attention, forcing me to look back at the small battlefield.

Dark-red fire started to consume a portion of the destroyed floor, Vali was holding his left arm close to the chest and I could see some smoke coming from it, the owner of the Canis Lycaon snarling aggressively as his pace grew faster, more feral than before and giving even less mercy to the clearly disadvantaged Sougyoku.

'**He isn't in control anymore.**' Apophis was correct, the once well-planned stance was now fading into something animal-like, mindless.

_We should help him-_

_**Or maybe let the others intervene? We aren't certainly ready to face anything like that yet.**_

"Tobio, stop!" Baraqiel had his wings deployed and seemed ready to jump in action, but just as he was ready to stop this mess from degenerating further, Vali was brought down on the floor with a powerful slam, the bartender's claws poised up above his head and ready to strike down his 'enemy'.

But just as the killing blow descended upon the barely awake Vanishing Dragon, several strings of light appeared and latched onto the lycan-like body, tying it down while Tobio started to struggle to get free from my intervention.

I started to walk slowly towards the groaning Vali, crouching to pick him up and then made my way back to the stools, placing the injured moron on two of those and ignoring his confused stare and the surprised ones from the other three by the counter.

"Sensei." I looked at the Fallen Angel. "I have to deal with Tobio-san, alone."

The man's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, brat? You can't win-"

"I don't need to win. I only need to stall him enough for Tobio-san to calm down enough to drop the Balance Breaker and I'm quite sure that having you to help will only make him feel threatened."

I pointed at the glass ceiling and at the sky. It was darkening, one of the aspects of Canis Lykaon was render the skies to darkness, which was going to cause some issue if it continued or worsened.

Stretching a little, I went back to where I had found the downed Vali and looked up at the growling bartender. I blinked a little nervous about facing someone like goddamn Tobio Ikuse at his prime, glancing momentarily to the side as I did notice Jin stalking around us.

"I don't want to hurt Tobio-san. Just need him to calm down, he is angry and… he is scaring his friends." The large wolf-like familiar paused just a moment, glancing by the counter and saw Sae looking particularly scared at how her childhood friend was behaving.

The dog sat down, the sword on his teeth vanishing as he seemed to retire from the battle that was resuming now.

With a final roar, the owner of Canis Lykaon broke the last of the Silver Linings I had over him and he was quickly rushing for me, claws ready to strike and blade in his other hand prepared to defend.

I dodged the approaching attack, sliding by his side and slamming a fist upon his ribs… only to have my punch bounce away, knuckles hurting just a little.

'**His armor is impervious to physical attacks. Start using magic against him.**'

Nodding to myself, I quickly set down some Light Mines while jumping away from the recovered opponent. Tobio roared again, this time in pain as three consecutive explosions sent him flying several meters away.

He slammed on some chairs and tables, wood splinters propelled from his impact but bouncing away from his armor. Growling, the man's claws glowed a dark hue and I felt panic rising as I remembered one of his more obscure abilities.

Jumping high and far away from the ground, I saw thousands of black swords emerge from my shadows, moments away from tearing me up.

**Nigh Haken** was a scary ability, one I will have to be careful while fighting him. Still, it was better than deal with Ame-no-Ohabari and its flames, my Light Static being unable to properly disperse cursed fire and leaving me with nothing to deal with it.

But just as I found some relief away from that close call, I found myself slammed down by a large claw pushing onto my crossed arms.

I had just the time to groan, Tobio picking me up and bringing my face close to his muzzle. He opened up and showed his sharp teeth, while snarling and preparing to take a bite out of me.

Without even thinking twice about it, I let my Light Static course out of my body and into the close monster-like berserk, the Ikuse whining at the sudden pain and reacting by letting me go and… kicking me brutally on the stomach.

I slammed through several chairs before rolling down on the floor, my breakfast trying to get out of my mouth but failing as I put a hand under my mask to press my lips close, feeling the acidity leave a foul taste on my throat.

_He doesn't look to be recovering from his furious state._

'**He actually looks to be focusing more on his attacks, an animal wouldn't have gone through that 'complex' strategy to get you. Using the swords to lure you in a position you can't defend yourself in.**'

_Still that is kind of bad because I don't think I can hold for long. I need some help but-_

_**Quit your nagging, Hoitsu**__**. You asked for the fight and… I think I can help you somehow.**_

_I thought you couldn't do much with the abomination taking most of the energy._

_**I still have the one that helped me in forming a consciousness and… I think we can pull something like the Vizards in Bleach did, minus the mask.**_

'**Vizards? Bleach?**'

_**I am talking about ripping off some 'transformation' from a fictional animated series which has to do with someone synchronizing with their own inner darkness.**_

_I do remember that Ichigo couldn't go further than the mask tho._

_**That is because he had a dipshit as his own dark side. You have me and… I ain't a Hollow, thus let's see how this works, shall we?**_

I sighed, paling a little as I saw Tobio jump up above and directing his fall towards me, maws first.

_Fine, but I hope you know what you are doing._

I felt something vibrate happily within my core and then time slowed down just a little, dark smoke starting to leave my arms, my legs and the sides of my face and… I smiled at the sudden energy recharge for my reserves.

The Isuke seemed to notice immediately the strange change, a bit confused as his mid-air stance soften a little, his eyes widening in realization as I rushed towards him with a quick burst and slammed my fist right on his chest.

'**It… worked?**'

While previously the armor had rendered direct physical attacks useless, the energy flooding my coils were now reinforcing my limbs and my overall physical attributes. I was surprised myself, so much that I had to ask some more explanations about this.

_What did you do?_

_**Do you remember why Touki and Senjutsu are incredibly difficult to learn?**_

_...Because both require time to-_

_**Because both can cause the weakening of one's self and the strengthening of their own dark side. But what happens if the Dark Side refuse to accept the negativity? Look at the smoke.**_

I complied, eyes directed at it as I had some time before the owner of Canis Lykaon recovered from that powerful attack. _What about it?_

'**It's negativity.**' Apophis replied. '**You are filtering out the negativity within the natural energy Hoitsu is absorbing.**'

_**Correct~! But sadly this form isn't eternal and I think you will last two minutes of staying in this form so… finish this off already?**_

I nodded to myself and narrowed my eyes at the still aggressive bartender, a howl preceding another rush towards me, this time several Silver Linings wrapped around his legs and forced him to trip down on the floor. More strings joined up and soon he was elevated away from his own shadow, enough light ropes keeping him stuck still as I advanced swiftly towards me to end this fight once for all.

My fist tightened a little more as I jumped and cocked for another punch, planning to make this the final hit. "Take this, Tobio-san!"

I slammed my closed palm upon his Linings-covered chest with the strength I had mustered, the impact tearing all of the Linings and sending him diving onto the ground like a big bullet.

The entire building gave a temporary shake as dust started to cover the 'exploded' section of the establishment.

Legs wavering, I fell on one knee as the form I had finally collapsed, my Core a little strained but still working at optimal levels and without lasting damages on my coils.

I was sure that I had managed to beat him once for all and yet…

Deflating at the sounds of footsteps approaching, I tried to stand up, only ending up to fall on my butt as a figure emerged from the still fluttering dust.

The werewolf-like armor stared at me silently, Tobio's posture relaxed for a moment and lacking any of the feral aspects I had to deal with until now.

"That… hurt." The armor disappeared in dark-purple particles, the bartender holding his chin while caressing it, the spot in question red and a little swelling. "Did you have to hit that hard?"

I breathed in and then out. "You know that you were in a berserk state, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but-"

"And that you were hardly holding back there?"

"Well, kind of but-"

"I had to hit you with my strongest attacks to get on your protected self a mere swelling, and let me remind you again that Canis Lykaon BB's armor isn't something that I could normally hit physicially."

"About that-"

"And you ask 'Why I had to hit you that hard'?!" He flinched a little at my words and he looked down to the ground, not daring to interject any further at the fact I wasn't showing any leniency at that stupid question.

I slowly got up from the ground and started to limp towards the counter, ignoring Tobio's attempt to help me with this task and eyeing only an individual in particular. Someone that was the prime responsible for this situation which I felt bitchy about and he looked better than before.

Tear of Phoenix from Baraqiel, I deduced as I was finally close enough to my target.

Vali looked confused, clueless of the troubling storm riddling my logical thoughts as I decided to seek an apology by other means.

While my arm was sore and my knuckles were still hurting, I felt better in punching the Vanishing Dragon right in the guts. The effect was instantaneous, the boy crouching a little and backing away from me as I went to walk towards the waiting man.

The Fallen Angel looked surprised, confused, suspicious but very relieved that I was still alive and well. "Do you need a flask?" I nodded and accepted the small bottle.

"I know that you want to ask about _that_, but for now I will say it has to do with Senjutsu, not 'whatever issue you found yesterday'."

Baraqiel looked skeptical but nodded slowly, accepting only because I looked still normal from the looks of it.

"Ara, Ara, Tobio-kun got quite the bruise on himself." Suzaku looked to have recovered from the ritual, the woman smiling regally at the now blushing bartender while ignoring the huffing from Sae.

"You should have been more careful with _Sougyoku_, Tobio-kun. By the way, what did he tell you to get you this much angry."

The owner of the Black Dog bar blinked, then directed a deadly glare at the groaning holder of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear, sighing the moment he saw the others staring at him. "Nothing that will get me… next time."

Then he turned once more to stare at me. "I want to apologize for… almost killing you there, Hekishoku-kun. If there is something I can do to gain forgiveness, please, just ask."

I blinked, ready to refuse this but… then I glanced at the priestess and at the researcher, a small plan hatching within my mind.

"I think I have the rightful punishment but also the proper reward." I nodded with a smile. "But before I truly say it, I wish to know what is Sae-san's relationship with Tobio-san."

The brunette blinked in confusion. "We are childhood friends-"

"With all due respect and without meaning it as a tease, would you mind if I demanded that he gave you and Suzaku-san free massages?"

… "W-What? Th-That sounds incredibly perverted and-"

"I know that the teasing material would be immense, but I do notice that you are interested in something serious with Tobio-san and… I think you wouldn't like to be excluded if I did that only with Suzaku-san." I interrupted, once more bringing more reasoning out for this and I noticed her hesitating from responding. "Plus, if he tries anything perverted you could just tell me and I would come back here to give him a beating."

The bartender sputtered at that. "T-That sounds incredibly lewd a-and I don't want to importunate Sae-chan and Suzaku-nee-"

"It's Suzaku-chan, Tobio-kun, and I think the 'punishment' is quite fitting for my needy sore body." She turned to her fellow female with a smile. "Sae-chan, I promise you that I will not tease you about this if you just accept it."

The confirmation of no teasing, plus my sugar-coated words seemed to do the trick as the young woman sighed tiredly. "_Fine_, but I hope you will uphold that promise in case he did something perverted."

"I will get back on training and reach Tobio-san's level in no time. Plus, I will have Sougyoku-kun's help in any future fight with him." I turned to look at the grouchy-looking Vali. "Am I right, partner?"

He didn't reply at first, giving me a deadly stare before sighing. "If we combine our strengths… it could work."

I smiled widely at that comment and nodded his way. Finally some progress!

* * *

We continued to chit-chat amiably for an hour or two, finishing around lunchtime.

Since I had left no one back at home to keep care of Kunou, I had to return quickly and so, after leaving Vali in the spot where we had found him earlier that day, Baraqiel left me by the door's entrance before leaving for a quick walk to the pub.

It would seem like there was going to be a serving of a special beverage by lunch and thus he didn't want to miss it.

Removing the mask and cloak, putting both back in my backpack, I opened the door of the house and walked inside. Quick footsteps preceded the Kitsune's arrival to greet me but, while I had expected a happy look on the girl's face, the moment she turned the corner I saw tears falling from her eyes.

"N-Niichan! T-They took her!" She hugged me tightly and I panicked a little, returning the embrace.

"What do you mean, Ku-chan?" I asked, a little confused at her scared tone. "Who took who?"

She merely sobbed on my sleeves and I heard more footsteps approaching from the living room. Issei emerged from the living room, shoulders sagging and his face gloomy while he continued to stare at a small piece of clothes. A light-green string that was usually used to tie women's hair and…

"_Do you like it, Senpai? Issei-kun bought me this as a gift and I love it._"

No…

"S-Senpai." The brunet's voice was broken. "I- They-_**He **_took her."

...No, no!

I- This wasn't possible. There isn't a chance in hell Rias would have let Raiser take Asia, not even the marriage threat would have worked.

"Does Rias know about this? Did she tell you how-"

"SHE LET HIM GO WITH HER!" I paled at his outburst, his hands going to his head as he trembled a little, tears falling down as the realization struck fully.

_**It would seem like you forgot one small detail in that plan of yours.**_

_...And that is?_

_**Asia-chan… she isn't close to Rias as in Canon and her connection to Grigori is unknown to many.**_

_I-I should have-_

_**What? Planned for some smuggling? Created a bunker only for her? Trouble would still come to her and the only fault I can attach to you is the fact you didn't train her for the occasion. She should have been prepared for this scenario-**_

_I- What I am supposed to do then-_

_**Calm down and think. Asia is still Grigori's responsibility and if some bird-brain plan to make an hail-mary by using her then we have all the good reasons to crash his castle already. **_

Then my mind moved back to Rias, the Gremory should have done something about it and- and-

_**Focus on Asia first. We will deal with that bitch later when we have time and everyone is safe.**_

…_You are oddly fine with letting some bashing go._

_**I know that there is a time to punish and there is a time to focus on what it matters and you know it too, it's just that your anger is hindering your logical thoughts and I am not influenced in any way.**_

Without wasting further time, I reached the telephone and called the Governor-General.

What followed was a lengthy call that lasted two full hours, the man wanting full details on the situation and proposing different plans before settling for a plain and simple 'door-knocking' after consulting with the Four Maou and gaining their approval.

A full day would have to pass, but once things were approved some vindictive actions for meddling in Grigori's affairs in broad daylight.

And while the situation seemed to be shifting back to a favorable fate, my mind couldn't help but still linger around a question in particular.

**Why did Rias let Raiser take Asia?**

* * *

**AN**

**Another fighting chapter, a sudden twist and my, oh my I finally dropped the infuriating thing Rias was supposed to do. While right now it seems quite illogical for her to do so, the explanation will be furnished next chapter.**

**Also, before dropping going for the next section… here is something I have also promised:**

**-d-d-d-d-**  
**Omake: Kunou's first heat (with a twist!)**  
**-d-d-d-d-**

Of the many things I had to deal in my daily life, from fending off monsters and aiding Grigori with the mission I was sent to complete, the very predicament I was forced to deal with right now wasn't something I had expected.

Kunou was red-faced, her breath incredibly ragged as she latched onto my my arm, nuzzling her upper body in an attempt to seemingly scratch an itch.

I was horrified to find the girl in a pool of sweat waking up early in the morning but I managed to get her a little better by turning on several cooling devices, the girl pleased at the help to deal with the sudden warmth but still suffering from her first heat.

I discovered what this meant by Baraqiel's explanation. Differently from common animal knowledge, Yokais with animal-like traits had a kind of heat based upon their own magics. Some of those were also a sudden cold or even feeling energetic over the days of the heat, but most of those were solved with sexual activities proposed by their partners.

With Kunou being a young teenager and this being her first heat, the situation had required some drastic planning to properly solve this in a family-friendly way.

Massaging her shaking shoulders, I brought my mouth near her ears and whispered. "_C'mon, Ku-chan, you just need to take the aim and blast that away_."

"B-But what if I miss a-and I don't know, I'm so nervous." I patted her head, trying to calm her a little as I pointed at the fake targets from afar.

"It's not important that you get it right the first time, just keep trying until the target gets caught in flames or explodes." She hummed, trying to lock her golden eyes on the various targets that I spent some time spreading around the empty junkyard for the girl to practice around.

Some were dressed the same way as the magicians that had given chase to her back in Kyoto, thus helping also to face that little fear of hers.

Finally she nodded and took the aim with her open palms, her hand warming up as they glowed golden, small circles with seals appearing in front of them and-

**KA-BOOM!**

The first explosive spell hit the center of the large 'army', decimating most of the first, second and third line. She blinked, then eyed her hands and finally tried again.

**KA-BOOM!**

**KA-BOOM!**

**KA-BOOM!**

Her tails were waggling madly as a giggle continued to resonate the more explosions she created. I patted her head and smiled at the incredibly powerful blasts my little imouto was creating thanks to her over-charged core.

The fun explo-fest continued for three more hours and I had to urge some pauses to place new targets for the fox-eared dynamiter with lots of energy to waste around.

At a certain point, I joined the little girl's fun by using my own explosive spells and destroying some old cars in the process.

By the end of this 'bonding session', Kunou and I had a smile plastered on our faces, walking away from the now empty lot of land, we decided that an early return back home to enjoy some delicious lunch was now the main objective with the girl's heat dealt with.

_Meanwhile, not too far away…_

"T-That was Kunou-chan?" Asia asked in visible awe while watching the brother-sister duo leave the burning, destroyed junkyard.

"Y-Yeah." Issei Hyoudou wasn't unsure if he should have taken that sight with the same awe as the blonde by his side or be dreaded by the destruction capacity the little chibi was showing there.

The former nun turned to look at him with a determined look. "I want to make things explode too! Will you help me, Issei-kun?"

His common sense was there to remind him of the potential effects of such endeavor, knowing that if the police ended up seeing them do anything even a little explosive, things would end up poorly for them.

But with that angelic smile and that adorable set of eyes begging him to help, the gentleman side within his head supplexed the common sense and supported the proposition.

And thus Issei Hyuodou and Asia Argento ended up buying _a fairly impressive amount of fireworks_ that they set off by nighttime. Kuoh Town enjoyed some unexpected beautiful colors painting the night, but the police spent few more days trying to find the responsible ones that caused such unregistered act.

* * *

**I bet someone got in Protecc mode because of the title, but it was I, Explosive Fluff, and not anything lewd!**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Sanas22: 'Trihexa' was weak because it was within the MC's mind. The reason it was a 'easy' fight was because it wasn't born yet and fighting in the MC's mindscape, it couldn't use any of the magic it had accumulated. But, if it had managed to leave the MC's soul, then it would have been a second coming of Trihexa.**

**Evyplayz121: Dragons and monsters of high level aren't conceived naturally as many other beings in the world. They are formed by large amounts of energy and the emotions latched in those amounts ends up determining the personality of said creature. Since God lacks a Dark Side, when negative energy started to accumulate, the resulting effect was the birth of Trihexa. The monster contained a large amount of energy from God himself and that is why he was weak during the Great War. The MC had already a Dark Side and, when the negative energy accumulated, the results were similar to what happened to God, creating a Proto-Trihexa. Also no, the MC's dark side (which will receive a name next chapter) will have that fixed soon.**

**Blaze2121: The letter will be given via indirect way. Maybe I will also copy some techniques from some shows, yes.**


	21. Drastic Blitz

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 21****: Drastic Blitz**

* * *

The first few hours at Kuoh Academy started incredibly tense.

Issei had slept in one of the couches of the living room at his request and, after cooling a little off from the grave news he delivered, I found myself worrying about the brunet's somber and frail state.

Giving an extra eye over what he was doing, right by the time I had finished the call with Azazel I ended up telling the boy about the situation. Minor relief washed upon his empty expression, a bare light against that dark depression that had taken over him.

One would easily be confused by the fact he was suffering this much by Asia's kidnapping, but the context and past's ramifications played a major role in the terrible mood the holder of the Boosted Gear had been left in.

Having already been 'betrayed' by Raynare early on his life as a Devil, seeing the one that 'saved' him decided to offer someone he was starting to love romantically to 'solve her own problems' was the worst kind of back-stab one like him could ever endure.

Entering from the glass doors of the school building, the boy seemed particularly lost, barely caring for the usual whispering about his previous attitude as pervert. This reaction causing the rumors to stop abruptly for a moment, confusion and shock spreading through the various crowds watching his slouched walking and his empty stare as he walked back to his classroom.

Some started to question this strange situation, voicing a possible tragedy happening to his family or something of that terrible kind. But no one dared to approach him, the brunet appreciating as he had voiced his wish to spend a few days without being annoyed by others.

Something that cemented my concern of his closing up. While Issei was a pervert in the Canon, he was a social inept, a loud bark without a genuine bite within him while speaking to women. Some suggested that it was about Raynare's attempt at his life that scarred him for a long time, but I wasn't part of that group.

The Fallen Angel sure had an effect on him, having left him quite wary of dealing with beautiful women more powerful than him, but it was the real issue was… a lack of understanding about women.

From the fact he was incredibly shy around Irina and the fact he did have some romantic feeling back when he was a child directed at her, it isn't difficult to see how learning about women (in a perverted and depraved way) was his first and strongest attempt to understand those feelings and the necessity to gain friends in the process.

Then said understanding became an obsession and finally it became part of his overall personality.

But this 'Issei Hyoudou' just recently started to rekindle that interest in understanding women. With Asia by his side and both showing reciprocal interest to each other, the boy took more care in learning how to romance. While the advice he would ask from me would be mere questions about specific sections of the subject so difficult for many men, his commitment proved more than once to be genuine for the blonde.

I will definitely keep an eye over him while I dealt with this difficult day.

Personally leaving Kunou to her classroom, I swiftly to my own class, wishing to not encounter none of the people I wished to have nothing about today and I was blessed by the fact I was one of the few first students to enter that room.

Time passed and the rest arrived, Akeno was the first to arrive, her usual smile missing as her mouth was a thin line from the moment she entered inside to the point she was taking a seat by her desk.

Rias entered a little later, I felt a quick glance my way but I was distracted by** more important** papers than the redhead that looked incredibly tense.

They were both nervous the moment the King of the peerage picked her seat, close to the Priestess of Thunder.

I merely glanced their way the moment I knew they weren't going to notice my staring and my eyes were quick to catch the tension between the two. It was surprising to see that large of a rift between the two friends, but I guess that Rias was already suffering her decision within her own group.

Two hours passed, the situation escalated just a bit with the Gremory trying to get Akeno's attention on her, failing as the Himejima continued to keep a devoted attention to the blackboard and to the lesson unfolding in those hours.

Two more hours were spent in the classroom, the bell rang and I was glad that I had been spared by Rias' pitiful attempts to reconcile with others.

Without wasting anymore time lest of getting intercepted by the very girl I was trying to avoid, I was quickly making on my way to the Student Council's classroom.

Being the first there, I decided to burn some of the stress by rapidly completing my paperwork, ignoring the fact I was going to an inhuman pace in the process as I was alone in that place at that hour.

My mind was going miles per hour trying to get everything done, my brain recklessly going through some melting issue as my attention and worries were directed elsewhere from that particular situation.

I had gone through more than half the tall stack of paper when I heard someone knocking at the door before Sona peeking from the small opening she created by opening it a little.

"Hoitsu-san, I see that you are here earlier than usual." Her tone seemed calm and I nodded.

"Decided to invest some dutiful time in my job, Sona-san."

The girl blinked, there was a brief note of surprise in her eyes, then she sighed and looked particularly uneasy as she spoke once more.

"Actually, I need you to come with me. It's… important."

I stopped, a frown appearing to match my current scowl as I glanced up from my work to stare at the nervous-looking president. "Something's wrong?"

"You… could say that." She stated cryptically and I decided to see what was going on.

Quickly noticing the lack of Tsubaki in that instance, I felt some confusion turning in suspicion and said emotion grew more by the time I realized where she was leading me to.

The Sitri knocked at the door of the Occult Research Club's classroom, waiting patiently as someone came to open at us. Akeno's violet eyes widened at seeing me before quickly daring away in mortification.

Silently she made way as we both entered the classroom, my eyes instantly taking notice of the fact the entire room was filled by both Rias' and Sona's peerages. Issei was there too, but he looked reluctant about his presence there.

'**This looks like a trap.**'

_**This is a trap, Apophis, but the question that I have to ask is… who is really the one trapped here?**_

I waited patiently near the door, deciding against moving away from it.

The redhead was sitting alone in one of the single couches, looking quite nervous but still trying to bring out a confident appearance. "Good, you are here, Hoitsu-sa-"

"_Don't _use my name, Gremory. I am not in the moods for some games here." I interrupted coldly. "_Why am I here_?"

I had to muster some major effort to held back my rhetorical and derisive tone as I did knew what this could have been about.

'**Don't make the first move, let them make a mistake and capitalize on it.**'

_I know._

My sudden intervention unbalanced the girl, the redhead pausing a moment to sigh and try to regain her composure. "Ok… I know this might sound strange but we have to talk about why Asia Argento is no longer within Kuoh Town as of yesterday."

I blinked, unholy fury building up within my chest, swelling more and more at her attempt to sound cryptic in that fucking moment. It wasn't the right instance to be having that tone!

She closed her eyes. "We… are all Devils, Sakakibara-san."

Just like in the show, everyone but Akeno, Koneko and Issei revealed their Demonic Wings to prove this statement. I glanced at the silver-haired Nekoshou, the girl having a distant but guilty look as she continued to stare at her legs in silence.

"Asia-chan was offered a position as the Bishop of an important Devil House and… I decided to accept for her sake." Rias continued to explain, blue eyes avoiding meeting mine while she spoke. "While the one that took her was despicable, the nature of the contract offered to her was beneficial and thus… I gave my blessing to it."

I was about to call the BS at that point but as the entire explanation reached my brain, sinking deep, I froze in cold realization. My eyes widened, but not for the kind of surprise they were expecting.

My mind burned while putting together the scene and motivating how this could be possible.

Raiser had his Bishop positions in his peerage already taken by part of his 'harem' and he couldn't have known about Asia without having someone spying in Kuoh, which he didn't have. So the one that told him about her had to be someone that knew about the blonde and… wanted her.

An important Devil House. That was how Rias has described the 'group' that had taken the girl and-

No, she wouldn't have done something as dumb as that.

It was already a shit-fest with the fact Asia was and still is part of Grigori and, if forcefully converted with her contract still valid it would warrant the new Great War.

But I decided to still ask while hoping to be granted a negative response to this horrible scenario. "The Devil house, it's the Astaroth?" Curt and decisive, my words cut deep through the meek explanation that had been going on while I was thinking about this stuff.

The Gremory paused, a little surprised at my accurate and precise question, but much to my dismay nodded with a frail smile. "I-It is?"

The room's temperature went down several degrees and everyone seemed now to be staring at me in shock. I blinked, a sudden breeze coating me as some dark smoke started to come out from my body.

_Ok, what did you do?_

_**Honestly? Nothing. That is actually you tapping in that form with me being forced to join in. I guess we both are that angry.**_

'**Your cover might as well have been ruined now.**'

It was ruined, there was no doubt my the panicking glances I was getting right now, but knowing that I had the chance of gaining some momentum distant from this development, I took the opportunity and went with it.

"So you mean to tell me that, not only you gave a member of Grigori, that you had nothing to do about I might add, but you also gave her to someone that is a possible member of a rebellious group?"

Sona frowned at my words while Rias seemed completely blasted by those accusations.

"Hoitsu-san, I think you should add some more details about those words. And I notice that you have a perfectly functional Magical Core on you." I grimaced at the fact the heiress to the Sitri Clan didn't let go of that particular revelation but I kept my focus on the accusations.

"Asia-san was excommunicated after aiding a Devil with her Twilight Healing. After being forced out of the Church, she was accepted in Grigori, to be aiding the small cadre ailing in this city as a garrison force." I paused a moment, then sighed. "The Garrison force went rogue at the chance of using the powers of the Sacred Gears but were intercepted and forced to surrender before any damage could have been dealt to the city."

"Let me guess, Asia is still part of Grigori even through the cadre here was dismantled." I nodded at Tsubaki's assumption which she sighed about it. "That means that what just happened yesterday could potentially cause another conflict between Fallen Angels and Devils."

"And Heaven is not going to pass up the opportunity to jump in it too." Sona concluded with a grimace. She turned to look at Rias. "Why did you even offer Asia-san to Raiser? Shouldn't you have been a little more concerned about the fact that he wouldn't have given up the marriage contract without a proper reason?"

"The contract he gave me spoke of giving Asia love and affection-" She tried to plea, but I interjected.

"Which in Diodora Astaroth's case are twisted to a demented degree. Have you seen the state of his peerage? That what his 'love' is about." I sighed. "Your crimes will be dealt by your brother, Gremory." She paled at the mentioning of Sirzechs, having already sent a letter to him to explain what was going on.

I turned to look at Issei, the brunet frowning and waiting but my glance was taken by a stranger sight. Two fluffy white cat ears were now showing atop Koneko's head, her wide golden eyes now had vertical pupils just like a feline.

_**It is the form. It might have the same undertone of the Senjutsu and that is triggering some minor PTSD. But don't stop there, we're already going on a limited time.**_

I nodded inwardly, knowing that while Diodora might have done nothing to Asia the day before because… it wouldn't have been majestic enough for his ego, the same couldn't be said today.

"Issei, you are coming with me." The boy looked surprised at the sudden request but complied as he got up from his seat and started to walk towards me.

"He isn't going nowhere." Rias finally recovered, her face burning red in embarrassment and fury. "As my pawn he-"

"With your ill-conduct all your contracts are now under review by the Four Maou." Sona interjected, glancing sadly at me. "He is free to go."

"B-But-"

The door closed behind us and as we started to run towards my house now that there was still people confused about this all. Just few moments later of rushing through the few hallways between the ORC and the entrance, I heard several footsteps coming right behind us.

I glanced behind and sighed a little annoyed the few individuals giving chase, Tsubaki, Kiba, Akeno, Koneko and Tomoe slowly gaining on us. While Issei might have trained his Sacred Gear, I doubted that he had developed much his new Devil body and, knowing that I can't leave him behind, I had to apply some extreme solutions to this new issue.

"Ise, I want you to know that this isn't meant to be taken in a weird way, but I need you to jump on my back." The brunet instantly looked hesitant at that request, looking skeptical about the improvement said thing it would do. "Just do it, or we are screwed."

The boy had still some doubt but, sensing that they were going to be caught on very soon by the Knights and the Nekoshou. "O-Ok!"

He stopped a brief moment and jumped behind me, my hands waiting as I caught him quickly and swiftly balanced my footing before going full power on this chase. The moment I was certain that the Red Dragon Emperor was secured in my hold, my legs started to pick more and more pace.

Soon I was going at the same speed as the pursuers and finally I was going even faster than the Knights and the Queen. But as Kiba and the other two members of Sona's peerage slowed down because of the corners along the way, Koneko still managed to keep up with my insane speed.

It was while I turned the umpteenth corner that I finally realized what was going on with the girl. While I had considered her ears to be aesthetics and inconsequential to this chase, I now felt a different pattern in her usual magic.

_**She is using Touki unconsciously! That adorable girl truly wants to get to her big brother, doesn't she?**_

'**I'm impressed that she unlocked such power in this limited amount of time. I thought this Touki required intense training and propensity with Senjutsu.**'

_There are special cases where the 'Fighting Spirit' is awaken by the particularities of the user's race. Being a Nekoshou, Koneko does have a stronger attitude with physical training and the Rook piece within her boosts this to an absurd level._

I turned another corner and I saw the familiar glass doors that led to the gates. We were almost there!

"_SENPAI!" _The silver-haired girl yelled as she further increased her pace, making me panic just a little the moment I vaulted the doors, glad that there was no one around by the entrance.

"W-What are we going to do? She is catching up!" I nodded, gritting my teeth as I noticed the tall trees in the courtyard between the entrance and the gates.

"I have a plan!" Three Silver Linings stretched strongly from the tips of one of the trees and ended in my newly-freed palm. "Ise, prepare to deploy your wings at my command!"

"Wait, wha-"

**YOOIIIIIIIIIINKKKKKK!**

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-"

I underestimated the power being the elastic strings of light, the subsequent propulsion to my yanking causing a massive force in a diagonal, forward way, overshooting us beyond the gates and above some buildings. "Now!"

The boy in his panic deployed the wings unconsciously and soon our air rush was slowed down a little as we approached the roof of one of the small buildings near the school.

Reinforcing my feet using the remaining energy in my Senjutsu mode, I managed to cushion the fall's damage and survive the impact while leaving a small crater around me.

"T-Th-That was insane, s-senpai!" Issei was trembling madly behind me and I sighed.

"It was, thankfully this was the worst of our little chase." I replied carefully and, as he seemed ready to respond to that with a dry remark, he found himself thinking about something important.

"W-Wait, you mean that it's not over yet?"

"Koneko knows where I live and we have to go there to reach Hell. So hold on tight 'cause I will be pulling some mad Joseph Joestar's strats right now!"

I took a running start for the big jump, the brunet still latched on my back begging loudly to not do this and yet…

"-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!-"

We were flying away, Hermit-Purple Style!

_**But as the two protagonists made their way through the city from rooftop-to-rooftop, a small but determined Koneko Toujou was swiftly making her way through alleys and empty streets in that important chase. She had lost a sibling already-**_

_**She wasn't going to lose another one!**_

* * *

**AN**

**Some were expecting bloodshed, some were expecting some harsh punishment, but the best they got was a super-chase and some minor revelation and, no, they don't know he is Hekishoku… yet.**

**Why did Raiser ditch the contract with Rias in exchange of having Asia given to Diodora? There are parts of the plots left untouched.**

**Next chapter will show their entrance to hell and… the crisis unfold to something far worse than the MC expects!**

**Also short chapter? You know the drill, lads and gents!**

**But this isn't over yet!**

* * *

**Secret Omake 1: His Name.**

* * *

I yawned and looked at the ceiling in an effort to gain some sleep after that massive day.

Kunou was straddling tighter than usual, some wet spots on my shirt right below where her eyes were showing some of the tears that had fallen while she was sleeping. She was peaceful now, but still some nightmares managed to get through her quiet rest, disturbing it and making her upset in her own dreams.

I sighed, the news of Asia's capture still keeping me up and nervous about what to do. I had been planning a lot of things in the last few weeks, trying to prepare for the things that will happen and… I still felt unable to keep up with everything.

'**That is because you are a mortal.**'

_**And a lovely moron that wish to protect the treasure around him.**_

_Uh?_

_**Please, don't tell me you never considered how beautiful our current disposition is. We got friends, surrogate family and a good relationship with our bosses.**_

_Yet it all feels so… undeserved._

'**What are you talking about?!**' Apophis interjected a little irked. '**You have given them affection and they are returning theirs to you!**'

_It just feels like… I'm cheating. Because I know how they feel about it and-_

_**Oh, shut up, you utter dumbass. You mean to tell me that knowing about their personality helps you around and makes your life easy? They will still behave differently if they spot on you something about that.**_

_But I-_

_**I wasn't finished. Kunou approached you and you certainly didn't make use of your 'knowledge' to seriously bond with her. Either fate or luck caused you to get together, same with Koneko, Azazel and the others that trust you.**_

_But still-_

'**I think he means that whatever you know about them, however you know about it all, you still had to show your true self to bring them closer to you. Getting close to people is a mutual opening of people's souls, not just a one-sided decision from one or the other.**'

_You both… are making compelling cases._

I blinked, once more at the ceiling, feeling Kunou nuzzling at my chest once more.

_**See? In a relationship, may it be platonic or romantic, people are meant to give to each other, never expecting to return but always trusting to have their love noticed and respected. Kunou considers you a brother in all but blood and I wouldn't be wrong in saying I would expect that from Asia too.**_

_...What?_

_**The girl was lost and while you knew that she was easy to mold at your whims, you decided to help her properly by giving her a safe place at Issei's home and a purpose with the Theater Club.**_

_I kept her in the dark about God's death-_

_**Because that would have left her hurting. Because that would have been cruel of you without a proper level of trust and caring shown before revealing such thing. You might call this manipulation, but you certainly have been careful to avoid directly interfering with her everyday life and didn't certainly pushed her to love Issei.**_

_...Are you sure you are my Dark Side?_

'**I admit that you sound quite genuine in that pep-talk.**'

_**Che, just trying to point out to my 'other me' that he has dealt with worse situations in our 'past' and that he should remember that we know how to deal with that dumb guilt of ours.**_

_I-Indeed. But I think that was very kind of you and… Thank you, Shiranai._

_**Well, if that is done I will go back to- Wait, what did you call me?**_

_I mean, you didn't give a name and… I decided to give you one. _

_**That is… strange. Sure, Shiranai? I am the 'Unknown' now?**_

'**Nobody but us and Baraqiel and Suzaku knows about you, so yes that is fitting.**'

_**Geez, I guess I will be using that name then. Just don't add any honorifics or-**_

_Why not, Shira-tan~?_

_**I fucking hate you and everything you stand for, but Gods I hope that seriously don't become a thing.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Final words: Shiranai is now properly introduced and I have some words to say about 'Volume 3' and 'Volume 4'. **

**While Volume 3 will happen as Canon… it will not be the main focus of this story. If you remember correctly, I might have mentioned some… x-overing and I will detail a little more very soon. Nothing like dimensional hopping mind you, but I will… do some fun stuff and I will set up a poll in FF. Why there? I hate dealing with some of the Forum's polls as the websites' style doesn't allow the same freedom as in FF.**

**So yeah, prepare for some fucking nuking very soon. XD**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites**_

_**Future Milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A**

**Sanas22****: That wasn't the sealed Trihexa. That was something similar to it, a Proto-Trihexa that formed within the MC's mind/soul. Two things about Trihexa coming from God of the Bible (1- It's a divergence I made and 2- God **_**announced**_** the existence of Trihexa, it was never stated that it was there before.) The God of the Bible produced negativity at the Wake of the Great War, when the hostilities and the pressure was so big that the stress started to form within his perfect state. **

**Ruberforumfree****: I mean it's like saying that if I put a single solar panel on my roof and then connect it to the entire world's generators I will be able to make enough energy for everyone someday. Negativity form faster than how much it's purged by MC's Senjutsu form.**

**Raphaim****: Wink Wink.**

**Billy Reb****: There will be something about it, yes.**

**Guest (Chapter 20)****: He will see 'reason' because of stuff.**

**Evyplayz121****: Asia was taken while MC was dealing with the Slash Dog situation so no, it wasn't mentioned in the previous chapters. Also yes, some fanfiction does go full Divergence and AU more than not. The story timeline in a nutshell is: Volume 1 (Raynare/Asia), Volume 2 (Raiser), Volume 3 (Kokabiel), Volume 4 (Peace Talks/KB arrival), after that I am a little bit confused myself and I will have to re-read stuff.**


	22. Search & Rescue & Destroy (1)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 22****: Search & Rescue & Destroy (1)**

* * *

The strong stench of blood and scorched flesh had been torturing her nose for hours now.

Asia Argento was scared, her continuous shivering a testament to that as she was forced to suffer through it all since she was held constricted by magical ropes to one of the many chairs by the long, elegant table.

Within her mind prayers over prayers were genuinely, fervently and faithfully pronounced, a never-ending begging for the violence and pain around her to stop at once. And yet the smiling familiar face in front of her didn't call his peerage off as he finished to sip from his wine-filled chalice.

The cloaked women, silent and inhumanly emotionless, continued to slaughter the servants that were there to try and save their Lord and Lady from the barrier keeping them imprisoned.

The night before, when she was finally escorted in Hell to an impressive castle, she expected the worst to happen. While Issei was proof that not all Devils were inherently evil, there was that intangible but ever-present sense of fear and dread that only horrible situations had.

Her eyes darted left and right, up and down as she studied quickly the entire rooms she was seeing for the first time, the former nun praying that whoever had ordered the foul-mouthed blond man that had kidnapped her to this ominous place.

Finally the large doors before her opened, a throne room quickly revealed to her sight as she was brought closer to the deepest end of the room.

Three large thrones, two behind the one that was currently being used by a familiar face. Her eyes widened, partial relief at seeing the smiling figure that was seated in that very large chair.

The young man stood up and bowed slightly. "Asia! I am happy to see that you are fine and well."

A small shaky smile formed but the girl felt like something was _off_ about this whole situation. She nodded slowly. "Y-You are the Devil I- I helped back then."

The widening of his smile confirmed her suspicions and he nodded at her words. "Yes! I'm elated by the fact you remember me and… I'm sorry that I took so long to find you."

Curiosity filled her still nervous brain. What was he talking about?

"To think that I would have you be approached by that filthy dragon and that… _scum_." He shook his head, disgust visible as he sighed tiredly. "It's saddening that I couldn't approach you because of those two mongrels."

Her mind didn't waste time in connecting the denigrating terms to the very individuals that she first met in Kuoh Town. Her lips narrowed down, her eyes locking suspiciously at the still smiling individual.

"But now you are here and- Oh, I almost forgot!" He gave another quick bow. "I am Diodora Astaroth, heir to the noble house of the Astaroth Clan and… I wish that you become my Bishop."

…

Asia blinked at the sudden proclamation, realizing that by 'becoming his Bishop' he meant turning herself in a Devil which… wasn't something she actually wanted for herself.

Senpai had been rather genuine in saying that Devils couldn't pray to God nor be blessed by His love, something the girl cherished as the first and one of the most important things in her life.

Becoming a Devil was… not acceptable.

"I-I am happy for the kind offer… but I wish to remain human." She replied, her tone still nervous and stuttering but while her polite declining was meant to be offered the best way possible, the blonde noticed almost immediately a brief but noticeable change in Diodora's face.

A quick scowl, dismay glowing from it before he returned to smile confidently.

"But Asia, the dangers you braved should be more than a good reason to be accepting of the gift, to stay by my side to be safe, healthy and… loved."

There was a pause, one that the former nun needed to properly understand the implications of that last word.

Confusion was rekindled, her mind burning a little at the mentioning of 'love' but the quick image that showed was enough to make her blush. The smiling face of Issei compared ot the one of the noble Devil before her.

The brunet had a natural, cheerful smile that looked kind, human and forgiving. Meanwhile the smile of the Astaroth was… besmirched somehow, the ever-present line stretched that way devalued by its frequency, a hidden sin that her pure mind perceived but couldn't properly understand as she was still confined by the hold of the two cloaked figure.

She gulped nervously, but still responded. "I-I am happy that you c-care for my safety, Diodora-san, but I-I'm fine in staying in Kuoh Town a-"

**CRACK**

Her eyes went wide as the floor right below the Devil's feet cracked slightly, some frustration now easy to perceive coming from that twitchy smile.

"Asia, I'm offering you unconditional love and care, I offer you my heart and… you reject it?"

A little sadness formed in her chest, but the blonde decided to not reply to those words, the pause ending up to further irk Diodora as the scowl grew stronger than the smile.

His eyes narrowed and some hostility finally broke through his sympathetic smile, the hold of the two individuals at her sides tightening and making her almost yelp in pain at how painful their hold was getting.

"Maybe kindness will not work to conquer you, lovely Asia. It means that I will have to take drastic decision about i- Uh?"

Just as the poisonous words left his lips, the large doors that led to the throne room opened again, this time a little dark-haired girl slowly walked towards them. There was something odd about her, her clothes looking fairly strange but the very peculiar detail was her own eyes.

The darkest shade of black with… reptile-like pupils.

"O-Oh, Ophis-sama. I-I wasn't expecting your visit today. I'm thankful that you decided to bestow me with your g-gift and-"

"Shut up." The newly-named Ophis stated blankly while her sight remained on the blonde. "I'm not here for you."

… "E-Eh?"

But the little goth girl didn't reply, stopping her steps only just few moments away the former nun. Asia blinked in surprise as the two cloaked figure backed away, releasing her from their hold and giving her the chance of fully study the child staring at her.

"You are one of his friends aren't you? The… older brother of Kunou-san."

The careful wording wasn't lost to her, a glance back to Diodora confirming that only her and the little girl knew whom they were referring to. There was only someone that owned that title and she quickly nodded. "I-I do."

There was an interesting glimpse within the two dark orbs before the girl slowly spread her arm and waited. "Hug me."

The sudden request was incredibly unexpected, the former nun's eyes widening for a while but then… she knew not to question the words of this child. There was something about the Astaroth's sudden change of mood, from anger to quick submission that seemed off and ominous about Ophis.

Thus, without hesitating for long, the blonde crouched and brought the waiting goth girl in her hold. To her mind came the way her senpai would embrace the few people he cared for, the way he was careful to be soft but also very protective and her arms did the trick.

Tensing a little the younger female stood there, unresponsive to the warm embrace but… then her arms wrapped around Asia and there was a soft sight coming out of her lips as she slowly melted in the young woman's chest.

A small smile formed on the blonde's face as she slowly and tentatively reached for the goth girl's head, starting to caress it.

The reaction was instantaneous, Ophis' head pressing onto the hand as the former nun continued to care for the young girl until the very child decided to interrupt the embrace to deign Diodora a glance and some words.

"This girl is now under my protection. Give her a proper room."

The Devil blinked, eyes going wide open at the scene and his jaws dropping at the imperative request of the young girl.

He gulped nervously and nodded slowly. Asia was surprised to be escorted to a large room with girly decorations, a large bed, a wardrobe with clothes and a desk with some books on it.

Ophis followed, a soft humming painting the walk there as the young girl made another statement before returning to silence. "I wish that you play with me the same way Hoitsu does with Kunou."

It was quite an interesting order, but Asia decided to comply and accept the modest situation that had presented to her.

In a certain way, it did remind her how she would spend her time in the orphanage back home, where she would play with the children and sometimes do sleepovers with the younger girls.

In fact the following few hours did seem more of a repetition of those occasions, both females spending some time playing with the few toys lying around and doing some 'Nome, Cose and Città' (1).

Then they moved to the clothes present in the wardrobe and Asia nodded at the idea that very few of those were her size and none were Ophis'. Yet something curious happened when the girl still wanted to try some out as none of them obviously didn't fit with her short and slim frame but the sight was… amusing.

Soon the two tried out the clothes and rehearsed some of the comic scenes the former nun had tried back at the Theater Club, managing to get the goth girl to smile at some of them while also getting her involved and interested on the acting roles the blonde would give to her.

The whole evening passed quickly and one of the servants came to serve some plates with food, it was dinnertime.

The dishes were delicious, much better than anything she had tasted back at the Academy's cafeteria but paling just a little in comparison to Mrs. Hyoudou's masterful cooking.

Night came and the two girls easily fit within the covers of the Queen-sized bed. Asia was surprised to see the partially indifferent Ophis then move to sleep while hugging her but, considering how desperate for warm contact the goth girl had been until now, it didn't sound as surprising as it would have been few hours ago.

The day finished, her mind still pointing out that she has been kidnapped but the blonde was grateful for the positive aftermath of the encounter with Diodora.

Then the following day came and… things went down the drain. Asia wasn't there to see the attack happening but she did see the aftermath of the battle for this large manor they were now waiting within it.

Smoke clouded some of the large gashes created upon the massive building's walls, the floor was stained in red in some spots and lifeless corpses were littering few of the corners of the halls they were walking through.

The large living room was now sporting a particularly vast hole where once part of the roof was, giving a clear sight of the sky and the clouds forming by the smoke reaching out above from the fires spreading in the mansion.

Ophis took part at the assault in minor part, her major accomplishment being the sealing off of the Lord and Lady of the family and the silver-haired maid that tried to help in the attack. Diodora commented how there was also a fourth member of the family that was currently being hold in a safer place as a hostage, but his words were directed at the uneasy-looking man that had been responsible for her kidnapping.

Raiser Phenex had been a rude, foul-mouthed individual with little consideration about the things and the people around him, but he looked rather nervous at what was going on. His peerage was protectively around him, the younger blonde that was Ravel Phenex, his sister, giving him disappointed glances at him and horrified flinches at the massacre unfolding around them.

"You could have imprisoned them, avoid the blood-spilling."

Diodora blinked at the Phenex's remark, merely smirking his way. "And waste energy in keeping them around? To risk a possible combined attack? You are quite the silly fellow, Raiser. Please don't make such dumb assumptions."

The man looked offended but decided to back down from the interaction and focus on the 'prize'.

"Still, I think that the killing of so many servants will cause the wrath of the Maous. Sirzechs in particular will-"

"Be keen to accept our demands unquestionably and sign the contract you demand to officialized if he wishes for his son to live through today." The smiling Devil interrupted, ignoring the grimace in the blond's face. "By the way, while I can see how profitable this will end up to be for you, I don't see how you will deal with your brother's inquiry. Gaining the lordship of the Gremory house will hardly protect you from the wrath of the Bael and your own family."

Raiser didn't reply and Diodora sighed calmly. "And I thought you had some more substance rather than being a simple-minded individual, but I guess that is acceptable and, since you have been kind enough to bring me Asia, I will assist you in _removing_ your brother once he comes here."

… "W-What?" Ravel exclaimed, the Astaroth's smile widening at the two siblings' shock.

"Why, if you need to make sure the Phenex will not disinherit you, the only viable option is to kill your brother and have yourself or your sister take the title of heir of the house. Your parents _will have_ to accept your claim, especially when your other older brother was disowned after marrying a Fallen Angel."

"I-I will not accept this!" Ravel rebuked angrily, then turning to her brother. "R-Raiser-nii, we need to reconsider-"

"And please, don't make me punish your own peerage in case they decide to be 'morally good' in this predicament. We both know the results wouldn't be… kind to you, Raiser." Diodora interjected, still looking happy as ever, causing the oldest Phenex to sigh gravely.

"Ravel… be quiet."

The girl's eyes widened but she still nodded at the order, knowing that there was little they could seriously do about this predicament.

Asia felt saddened by all of this, but she decided to return to head-pat Ophis as the goth girl rested quietly while hugging her. From what she could garner from that discussion, the most important individuals within Hell's society were meant to deal with this situation and that gave her the hope that Hoitsu and Issei were going to participate at whatever attempt to rescue her and the others before any official deal was struck.

Hopefully they will arrive soon...

* * *

Issei looked ready to throw up any moments now, the pace I had taken with the usage of the Silver Linings was incredibly… neck-breaking.

Wind whistled loudly in my ears as we continued our rush from rooftop-to-rooftop, some nervousness still present in my brain at the fact the more time I lost there, the more the chances of horrible things could be happening to Asia.

I jumped once more, my legs burning at the prolonged blitz, but my eyes gave me the relieving sight of the small building that was my house just few more dozens of meters away from where we were.

_Another jump!_ My feet blasted off part of the edge of the building I was standing onto, the propulsion strong enough to get us swiftly sailing towards the building and for a moment, my brain started to turn its attention to how I was supposed to be 'teleported' to Hell without Azazel's knowledge?

In fact should I even ask to Baraqiel for that? The man could seriously refuse to this and he would be correct in doing so… but the situation was that grave and I wasn't going to back down even with the odds stacking against me.

'**Look out!**'

_**Little Neko-missile inbound!**_

_Wha-_

**SLAM**

A silver-haired bullet reinforced by Touki and Rook's strength boost intercepted the glide to reach the porch of home.

I rolled taking some minor damage while hitting the ground and groaning as I felt both Koneko's and Issei's bodies acting as weights during said impact.

Both got away from me, the girl taking a guarded and tensed stance while Issei merely getting to a safe distance from the possible battle that was beginning.

I got up from the floor and quickly noticed that my body was weaker than before, eyes widening a little at that discovery.

_**Sorry, time's up for now. Should be capable of giving you some more time in half an hour.**_

Gritting my teeth, I finally directed my focus at the Nekoshou and sighed. "Kohai, please you-"

"No, I can't have you go away!" A wave of energy formed around her, a strong orange that reminded me much of Gon's Nen and determination. "I can't lose you too!"

She rushed towards me, but my shock was more directed at her words and… at her tears.

...Did I remind her of how her sister left? Was she that scared of losing someone now of all times?

I was sure the answer to both questions was a supreme yes.

I blinked and I slowly prepared for the approaching punch, bending a little while the girl was lost in her emotional rush. Golden eyes widened as I bent properly to dodge her fist just barely but her greatest shock was when she realized that this offensive was lost that I had already moved against her.

My arms rapidly wrapped around her and pulled her close, the Nekoshou panicking as we both tripped, my back taking most of the fall damage.

She struggled a little, expecting a fight, a betrayal, something that made her rightfully want to attack me.

But in that hug, keeping my hold strong against her constant attempts of freeing herself, I did nothing but wait.

A full minutes passed and then… she stopped moving, her face dropping on my chest as the waterfall was fully unleashed. Her hands straddling on my shirt, trying to keep me the closest possible, while I slowly went to pat her head, trying to be careful with her cat ears.

She tensed momentarily, but then accepted the kind touch. The girl even purred at the warmth, making me crack a small smile at that.

"_You are a dum-dum to even think I was going to leave you._"

Her head shifted at my whispering, nuzzling in the process as one of her eyes was now staring up to my face, silent questions that barraged my own soul as I sighed tiredly at her uneasiness.

"While I am incredibly pissed at Rias and partly at Akeno… I don't hate you, you little thing."

She groaned at the nickname, a small snicker leaving my lips as I ruffled her hair, careful enough to not hit her sensitive neko ears.

"S-Senpai." Issei stated, breaking out of the brief freeze at seeing such scene. "I-I know it's important but… _Asia-_"

"I know, Ise." I patted Koneko once more before the both of us got up from the floor and stared at each other. "Listen up, Kohai, I want to cuddle you a little more, tease you a little and maybe add head-patting here and there, but I have to do this and we can continue later-"

"N-No!" She interrupted, giving a strong opposed look at my words. "I- Asia-san is a good friend a-and I want to be there to save her!"

I sighed, looking a little annoyed at the way she looked so stubborn about this. Just as I was about to decline this attempt of hers, I saw a fox-eared cutie rush from within the gates of the house, staring right at us. "I want to join in too!"

_Uh…_

Moments later, the head of Baraqiel poked out with a small smile. "It would seem like you got plenty of volunteers for this operation."

_It's not the right time to- Wait a minute!_

"How do you know that-"

"Orders from Azazel, you are scheduled to join up with Sougyoku-kun ASAP in the special sealing area just outside the Gremory Mansion."

Wait, Vali was going to be there too and- "What do you mean Gremory Mansion? What is going on?"

His smile deflated and he sighed gravely. "The heir to the Astaroth clan and Raiser Phenex just attacked the Gremory clan, they destroyed the barriers and have been sighted within the building. It has been confirmed that Asia was spotted within the group."

"Then why Sirzechs hasn't-"

"They got his son as hostage, nobody is able to discern where exactly the boy is being kept."

Shit, Diodora got Millicas as a hostage. If things don't get solved quickly, war sure is going to spark by the end of the day. But seriously why would Ophis agree to this? I am quite sure the KB is not ready to face a full-blown conflict so why would-

Before I could finish this inner questioning, a familiar backpack landed on my face, returning me back to reality. "We are leaving in ten seconds. Get prepared and don't lose that bag, there are twenty Phoenix's Tears there."

..._You know what this means, right?_

'**A spree of incredible murder and destruction?**'

_**Going full-retard without any worry of dying of burning our core out?**_

_Yes._

Changing up with my disguise, I noticed that Koneko's eyes widened at the mask, some questions leaving her mouth.

"Is that-"

"Yes."

"So that means that you know about-"

"Yes."

She pouted at being interrupted, while Kunou snickered at such reaction… while wearing a cloak and a mask similar to mines, her mask being a dark-shade of yellow. The kitsune seemed to glow the moment she saw my attention now directed at her.

"Do you like it, Niichan?" She struck a pose and I could feel the smug strong within her. "I'm pure and cute justice incarnated, I am Kogane-tan!"

'**I think this is the most powerful light spell I have ever seen in my entire existence.**'

_**My eyes and my heart! This is a shockingly powerful attack that not even the darkest soul could survive against!**_

"Look at you, an adorable masked figure just like your big brother." I said in a hesitant tone, while patting her head and getting a radiant reaction from her. "But I think I'm rubbing off wrongly."

She giggled. "Nope, you are head-patting me well, Niichan."

_I meant- Goddammit…_

'**She either mean it or she is truly that good in pulling those sassy remarks.**'

_**Atta girl!**_

I sighed tiredly but my attention was suddenly taken back to the Fallen Angel, Baraqiel preparing the large seal right below our feet and starting the teleportation.

It was a moment, just a single moment where from cement ground we were now standing in some untouched natural path… near a broken section of the Gremory Mansion that led to the dungeons.

"Ok, that was quick." I mused out-loud, trying looking at the large hole that gave some sight inside the underground section of the building-

"_That's what she said._"

My entire body tensed at the familiar whispering, my core burning in anticipation as-

**Lick~**

A small tongue licked right on my cheek, a smiling face on the side with two bright yellow feline eyes. "Nyan~, you taste lovely today-

He-ki-sho-ku-kyun~!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" I jumped away from her, eliciting an amused laugh out of her as I scampered the farthest from that dangerous woman.

"Aren't nyah the funniest?" Kuroka giggled again at the lack of response, suddenly turned to look at the rest of the group and- "Shirone-tan~!"

Koneko was frozen stuck, her whole self paling at seeing her older sister approaching and then… she was glomped.

"My little Shirone-tan has grown so pwetty!" The silver-haired Nekoshou's face sported a full blush at that comment, but the real interesting bit of her reactions were her cat ears twitching at such tones. "But still undeveloped, I guess your growth is a slow one- whoopsie!" The dark-haired beauty dodged a punch from the incredibly annoyed girl.

"Why are you here, Neesan?!" The enraged girl demanded, gaining a surprised look from her sibling and then the fellow Nekoshou gave a sheepish look.

"O-Oh right, kind of forgot to mention my current presence here and-"

"She is part of my team."

We all turned to look at whom just said that, my eyes narrowing on Vali as he approached with Bikou, Arthur and Le Fay on tow-

_The fuck?!_

'**What's wrong?**'

_**They shouldn't be there. They should be allied with the Khaos Brigade and… what the heck is going on?**_

"How and why." It wasn't a question but a demand, one that Vali ignored the tones and merely nodded at it.

"Kuroka-san and Bikou-san were… expelled from the group they were previously affiliated for failing their mission in Kyoto and-"

"Goldie and Le Fay-chan joined in because their faction is lead by a stick-in-the-mud." Bikou interjected, approaching me while holding his free hand out, meanwhile the Vanishing Dragon sighed and walked to chat with Baraqiel, a little far away from where the groups were mixing.

"Name's Bikou, Hekishoku-san. We were enemies in Kyoto… but now I hope we will be friends." The teasing smile, the possible lure…

I reached for his hand slowly and cautiously, ready to punch him if he pulled anything on me. He sighed at my tense stance. "Jeez, I'm sorry but why you seem this much 'scared' of me, Hekishoku-san?"

"You mean that I shouldn't be careful around the descendant of Sun Wukong?"

The smile froze and he groaned at being recognized. "Mou, to think that I would be known by someone this important..." Then he smiled once more. "This sure is going to be an exciting friendship then, Hekishoku-kun and I can only hope you will survive Kuroka-"

"What are you talking about, Bikou?" The Nekoshou interjected, pressing her cleavage onto my arm as she went for a sneaky hug, drawing me the closest possible to me.

_**This is a happy hell for sure.**_

_Stop!_

"Heki-kun and I are going to get well together, hold a proper ceremony and makes some strong kittens-"

"S-Stop harassing Hoitsu-nii, Neesan-!" Koneko's hands slammed quickly on her mouth, realizing the double mistake she just did as Kuroka glanced her way then back at me, as I continued to sweat nervously at this terrible predicament.

"'Hoitsu-nii'?" Her tone was ominous, her face tilting closer to my mask and then from her suspicious tone…

_She smiled._ "Then that means I don't need to have you gain Shirone-tan's trust, we are ready to skip for the marriage-"

"You aren't worthy of Niichan, you neko-baka!" Kunou- I mean, _Kogane-tan_ proclaimed while splitting us apart and causing the dark-haired yokai to frown at her.

"And who are you, little brat?"

In that moment of true dedication and something that will make me the proudest of that adorable kitsune, the girl struck Jonathon's Hamon pose.

**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**

"I, Kogane-tan, shall allow none, especially you Neko-baka, to steal my Niichan!"

The kimono-wearing woman paused just a moment, her eyes going wide open in shock between being insulted, out-memed and threatened by a younger girl than her.

_**That is our baby!**_

But the Nekoshou was far from defeated as she struck another pose and played Kunou's game. "Kono Kuroka da, Ko-tan!"

This sure is… a horrible mess.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Back inside the manor, as Asia continued to play around with Ophis, the blonde was the first to notice the sudden freeze the goth girl suffered while they played a minor game of checkers.

The black-haired child stared on a specific section of the wall, her eyes staring as if she could see through it. Then she smiled and looked back. "Things are going to become exciting very soon."

The former nun blinked in confusion and the younger female gestured her to come closer, which she did and then the girl whispered to her. "_Hoitsu and Vali are here. That means I can try to recruit them now._"

Asia frowned, contemplating the chances of the lovely girl to actually get her senpai and… this Vali to join the very group they are supposed to attack today.

The news meant a lot to her, showing that her prayers were being answered, while also gave her some worry about the possibility her Senpai had of beating someone like Ophis if things turned in a full-blown brawl.

"_There is also the Welsh Dragon but… he is kind of weaker than the other two._"

Now that got Asia's full attention. Issei was here? To save here?

Her heart skipped a beat or two and her cheeks reddened. "Oh."

The goth girl frowned at the reaction, tilting her head to the side to show her confusion. "Why is your face red?"

The question only made the blush explode even more, the girl stuttering a little but managing an answer. "I-I am- I mean, I was thinking about the fact Ise- I mean, the Welsh Dragon is a close friend of mine and… yeah, that's it."

Ophis narrowed her eyes. "Why are you lying, Asia?"

The tone made a chill go down her spine and the blonde giggled nervously. "I-It's because the real reason is embarrassing-"

"I will not laugh at it." The girl pressed on. "I want to know now."

Knowing that a 'no' wasn't going to be accepted by the interested child, Asia sighed and spoke once more. "I-I love him. Ise- I mean, the Welsh Dragon." Her head was burning, threatening to melt at declaring such thing and yet the younger girl didn't mind any of it, rather seeming more interested on another bit of the curt explanation.

"What does 'loving' someone means, Asia?"

Oh. Her mind was quick to regain control over her reactions, the former nun giving a confused at the simple question. "Could you elaborate, Ophis?"

"Why would you love someone as weak as the current Red Emperor? Shouldn't a woman seek a strong mate to produce a mighty offspring, isn't that what love is?"

"W-What? No." The blonde responded quickly. "L-Love is having someone that trust and care for you. Someone that respects you and help you when you need it without demanding in return. Someone that makes your heartbeat go really quick and make your head spin."

… "Oh." The simple word was attached to a rather interesting change of mood. From the usually 'blank but prone to smiling' to a realistic embarrassed reaction.

Ophis' eyes darted away, widening as some heavy consideration seemed to be ongoing within her thoughts and soon a unique and rare red tint colored her pale cheeks. "_Oh._"

"Is something wrong-?"

"No, I mean, I'm fine- Let us return to that silly 'names' game." The goth girl replied in a quick pace, surprising Asia but also bolstering the growing suspicion that… this little one was crushing on someone.

An interesting development, one that came close to how many names the girl showed to know during their simple game to spend their time there.

Thankfully the rescue party was going to enter the Manor soon and deal with Diodora before things escalated any longer…

* * *

**AN**

**1): Nome, Cose and Città is a well-known Italian game that is generally played by children. It can be played in large groups and the rules are:**  
**1- Someone is picked in a clockwise manner to pick a letter randomly by doing a small roulette with their hands and thinking about the letters in their mind, the one that would take the role next turn pick the time to stop the roulette;**  
**2- With the letter chosen, you and your friends have to fill up once for all categories with words (normal game is Name, Things, Cities, Animals and Colors.);**  
**3- Once everyone is done, they all say one at the time the things they picked in their category, those who wrote the similar word gets half the points (Normal point: 10.);**  
**4- Continue the game either until the alphabet is done or you decide to call a day (The one with most points win of course).**

**This chapter was uploaded a tiny bit late (like 6 hours late) and the reason is, like I have notified in the forums, because I was busy away from PC. Good news, I passed the Eipass 7 Modules test and now I have to wait for some certificate.**

**Before anyone ask, Ophis is not going to be in a pairing. Like, there is no room for propositions about this. While you may advance the idea that she is technically 'showing a childish body', I can easily counter with the fact she is ageless and genderless, which is a big no-no in general. Comic relief? Yes, but after that nothing more about the awkward relationship between her and MC. **

**Kuroka is back and this time she got a new rival in Meme-ing. Will Kogane-tan win against the perfidious Nekoshou or shall she succumb to the forces of evil?**

**To be continued!**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	23. Search & Rescue & Destroy (2)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 23****: Search & Rescue & Destroy (2)**

* * *

The infiltration started with some careful planning.

The Gremory Mansion had a very intricate underground section which still had the old prison quarters once functional during the Great War. Our first objective was to rescue Millicas and deprive the Khaos Brigade of the capacity to impose any demands on the Four Maou.

Thankfully there were some sensors within the combined forces, Le Fay being able to perceive the magical pattern of at least fifty magicians concentrated in a single area while Kuroka used her Senjutsu form to discern the presence of those capable of hiding their magical cores' imprint.

The pace was slow, but steady and cautious. While the enemy forces guarding the young boy was fairly distant, the presence of traps set along the way was something incredibly possible.

Just as few meters were made, we had to take a stop while the youngest of the Pendragon siblings started to disable some Silent Bombs wires that were well-hidden behind some old parts of the walls.

A painstakingly half-an-hour later and we managed to get through a dozen of traps without triggering any of them and don't alarm the terrorists. But while silence was advised, some individuals decided that it wasn't time to be quiet right in that moment.

"So you have been taking care of my sister since a month ago?"

Shoulders sagging and a strong desire to hit a bed and get some sleep away from the annoying woman deciding to latch onto me, I merely nodded as Kuroka hummed thoughtfully.

"But from my understanding you accepted fairly easily, if not eagerly, the role of older sibling." The Nekoshou pointed out and I glanced her way at that accusing tone.

Her voice was soft, still annoying but not as painfully as before. While she was uncaring of breaking the little rule of keeping silent, the powerful Yokai was careful to not raise her voice too loud, knowing that alerting the forces of the KB now would have been a terrible idea.

Yet it was the concerned brow that intrigued me, the idea that she was slowly showing the worries a big sister should have for her imouto. Maybe it was the fact that technically now we shared a similar title or maybe it was because Koneko was chatting with Kunou and distracted from hearing the half-whispered words from Kuroka.

"She was closed in herself." I sighed sadly. "You should tell her about-"

"I will tell her when the time is right." The young woman butted in quickly, unwilling to even mention the reasoning behind her 'Stray' state. "Just like I will tell her about other private things."

At the mention of 'private things' I knew she was referring to their… familial origin. While Koneko's memories of her childhood were mostly dominated by the presence of the older Yokai with some partial fragments about their mother, Kuroka was the only one that knew what kind of monster their father was.

A scientist that devoted his whole life and existence to the creation of Super-Devils, going so far to try and use his own daughters as specimens for the 'Greater Good'. A scumbag, one that Fujimai, their mother, had tried so desperately to bring out from that delirium he had fallen into.

All in vain, I thought grimly, as both Nekoshou ended up surviving alone in that harsh circumstance, fending off as the oldest of the two was forced to enter in a Devil's peerage and suffer the abusive attitude from such individual. All for her sister.

I blinked and sighed. "I… I can't be the one telling you what to do." I started to say, gaining her attention quickly, a confused frown on her face. "But the more you will keep this secrets from her, the more the impact those will have on her will be."

A blink, then two. "You mean I should… just tell her. She is still so young and she doesn't trust me." She said while squeezing a little her hold. It wasn't painfully tight, quite an attempt to draw more warmth if I had to be honest.

Those corridors were damp and cold, I could feel a brief shiver coming from her and I found myself questioning why she hadn't brought up her magic to keep herself warm.

Another sigh. "Then pick a time when you will tell her. She is 15? Then tell her on her 16th birthday. In the mean time, try to build your relationship with her. It will help."

The Neko blinked in surprise at that response, thinking silently about it as she slowly tilted her head and let it rest on my shoulder. "Why would she trust me then? I am still a criminal and-"

"I might tell her about some shady aspects of the Devil's judiciary system. Just don't bite off the hands offering in the process."

A soft giggle, it sounded fairly genuine. "You know how to give a girl some _interesting _ideas."

Narrowing my eyes, I turned once more to look at her and tensed up the moment I felt her warm breath on my neck.

_**Now, this is an incredibly troublesome kitty to deal with, isn't she?**_

'**She is fairly annoying, but highly determined in her pressure on you.**'

"It would take a bite to mark my claim. A. Single. Bite." She remarked, her tone oddly blank in this situation. "But it wouldn't be correct- no, it would be fairly disappointing to waste… _such interesting fellow_."

I felt my face exploding in a blush, my mind going in full panic mode as I tried to regain control over the situation and-

"We are near."

We both blinked and turned on Kuroka's free side to see a smiling blonde wearing witch-like clothes. Le Fay's smile was one of understanding, devoid of any possible teasing undertone anyone would assume at seeing this spectacle unfolding.

Much to my relief, we were standing in the front of this little squad and thus only the female magician was aware of this scene.

"Really? Then I guess we should prepare for some fun." The dark-haired Nekoshou pointed out, then smiling right at me. "And maybe some _fun_ too afterwards to deal with the… stress of the fight."

"Please don't." I replied adamantly, the lewd comment being rebuffed instantly much to the young woman's annoyance, a pout plastered on her gorgeous face while the descendant of Morgan Le Fay looked a little red in hers.

"U-Uh, Kuroka-sama-"

"Relax a little Fay-chan, it's not like I would _really_ jump his bones right now." The Neko sported a lying smile. "But I've to admit, now that I think about it, it wouldn't be a_ completely terrible_ idea."

"_Please don't._" My tone was now pressing her to stop, drawing more giggles as the poor fellow magician blushed a storm.

Much to my relief the situation didn't escalate any further as a light coming from the end of the corridor showed that we were indeed nearby the place where Millicas was being hold.

Kuroka detached from my arm and walked forward. "I hope you are not going to disappoint me, _Heki-kun_. I don't wish to think less of you, not now that you made such a good impression on me."

"I think my objective is to _not_ get you impressed about me." I dryly rebuked and she sighed, her smile surviving if not widening at my words.

"Then I'm sorry to announce you that you truly failed that one, _darling_."

_Goddammit_.

She peeked at the door and giggled, rushing inside and forcing all of us to follow behind as the battle began.

Most of the magicians, those that were away from the entrance, were caught unprepared as our group rushed in. Kuroka chopped the necks of the two cloaked figures by the entrance, disabling any chance of the various individuals there to be alerted of our presence.

From a moment of stillness, the world exploded in fire, thunder and beam of lights as the room was lit by our attacks.

The operation has truly began!

* * *

Sirzechs continued to stare at the monitor that showed the aerial perspective of his family's house.

The attack had been unexpected, a terrible situation that had brought him away from the brief diplomatic reunion with Michael. The Angels were unaware that his sudden retreat back to Hell was caused by a crisis of this proportions, but the Lucifer wouldn't deny the possibility that they suspected something had happened to get him that much worked up.

The man could hardly find relief at the fact his son was being used as a hostage in that predicament, his heart swelling in anger at the despicable attack but managing a composed front before his subordinates and the other figures in the headquarters.

Falbium was coordinating with Baraqiel the current state of the infiltration, the Asmodeus being the best in dealing with Military Affairs differently from the redhead, but also the one with the least emotional attachments about the situation.

He was the perfect individual to face the ongoing crisis and the former Gremory believed in his capacities to successfully plan this whole operation.

Ajuka was missing from the board, the man having mentioned the fact he had to 'check few things' with his parents about why Diodora was given so much free rein over the family's funds. While the Beelzebub had been spending time away from his family, he was particularly shocked to learn that his estranged brother was the main cause of the home invasion against his friend's house.

But it was Serafall that got him the most worried.

The current Leviathan had taken into herself to bring there to safety both Sona and Rias after the news of the attack had reached them, dodging any calls from Sirzechs as she got their siblings out of Kuoh the quickest possible.

The young woman was someone that could be as much as cheerful as competent enough to deal with Diplomatic issues and not only got them there, but also decided to be the one to interrogate his little sister about the matter, telling him how she will keep the most impartial and objective point of view over the questions she will ask to the girl.

It was the least she could do, she said before bringing his scared Rias in the interrogation room, sending just some messages about the current status of the situation that she was obtaining from the younger redhead.

As much as the girl's fault was minimal, the gravity of the situation didn't allow any chances of properly get her out of that predicament.

It certainly didn't help that Azazel, the man currently speaking with Falbium, had been adamant about giving a just and proper punishment for the girl without any unnecessary leniency from their part.

And while the first words coming from Serafall told him how his baby sister had only 'allowed' things to happen without taking an active role in any negotiations about Asia, but only accepting Raiser's offer to shred the marriage contract, the situation was big enough that her minimal punishment would still be devastating on her.

A death penalty has been promptly denied for several reasons, something that the Governor-General of Grigori agreed on by the basis that the girl was too important to her family and Hell itself and too young to be taken in account for something of this magnitude, considering the minor role she had during this ordeal.

But Sirzechs wasn't delusional enough to hope in any trick he could pull, he knew that things were now going to get more difficult once the operation concluded as Zekram Bael would demand some serious actions to be taken to make sure a situation like this never happens again.

The man might have softened just a little after so many years, but he wouldn't condone any light punishment for Rias, especially since she was related to him by blood and any hint of ill-applications of the law might cause some major issues to their family's image.

His sister had dug herself a troublesome grave, one that will be difficult for her to get out from and one that his big brother could hardly do anything about it, both for legal and personal reasons.

If she had refused, if she only had checked upon the current investigation Lord Phenex had launched upon hearing his heir's terrible accusations… things would have gone incredibly different.

It had all been possible because… of a stupid mistake. One that had put his son's and his wife's lives in jeopardy.

Gritting his teeth, one of the strongest people in Hell couldn't help himself but stare powerless as the rescue attempt continued.

Hopefully Hekishoku and Sougyoku will prove to be as effective as Azazel bragged them to be.

* * *

Millicas has been forced to crouch in that dark spot of the cupboard for a while now.

His mind was confused, his body shaking in fear as things have happened so suddenly for him to understand. Bad people, the ones that were now guarding him and keeping him in that small and cold place.

Tears had stopped to fall sometime ago, his mind failing to grasp the accurate quantitative as he couldn't think of how much time he had been there now.

As it been hours, a day, maybe two?

The boy was scared, this was the first time he had to deal with a dangerous threat so suddenly and… he was starting to lose hope now.

He had heard little from his captors and no one had yet come to try and save him.

Was it because they had moved him? Was he still back to the manor or-

**SLAM**

His entire body stopped shivering, his eyes widening at the loud noise that preceded some fighting ongoing, his heart beating a little faster as his mind could only provide with a single explanation with what was going on outside.

Someone was battling with his captors and… that meant that someone was trying to save him!

His skin regained some color after thinking of this, the chance of be free from that cramped place was… relieving.

But soon the fight stopped and… there was some brief silence. Then small footsteps approached and Millicas frowned at the curious lack of weight and… the small door creaked open.

A familiar mask appeared, similar to Hekishoku-nii but… a dark yellow. Gold?

"Are you Millicas?" The feminine voice asked, bringing him out from his silent study and making him nod nervously, the door fully opening and revealing… someone interesting.

Taking his hand and pulling him out of that gloomy spot, the young Gremory was further shocked to be pulled in a warm hug from the girl and his face heated up quickly at the sudden intimacy.

"U-Uh?"

"Shh, Niichan says that when someone is scared, one should give them hugs. And you are scared."

_I am scared_, his mind agreed to his savior's statement but… it was still somewhat weird. Like… why was the embrace this comfy, why her shampoo was this delightful and… why was his heart beating so madly.

Was he still scared? Was that why he felt like he wanted to be in that hug forever?

His mind felt burning at the idea of that moment lasting permanently but, much to his dismay and quick relief, her arms unwrapped around him as she turned to the other masked figure approaching them.

His mouth opened, ready to greet the familiar figure from Grigori but-

"Niichan!" The female called out loudly, shocking the boy as he connected the dots quickly.

This was the imouto of Hekishoku-nii? That means that they were related?

Leaving the confused Gremory behind, the girl rushed in front of the sighing young man and accepted some head-patting. The happy sounds leaving her mouth were enough to draw Millicas out of his musing, the boy approaching as he nodded at the man and… he frowned as he got his full attention on himself.

"Millicas, were you hurt? Why is your face red?"

...Uh…

"Uh..."

"I think it's because he was warmed up after being at the cold for so long." The masked girl said innocently, much to the boy's chagrin. "He was scared and shivering so I hugged him."

"Oh? Is that so, Kogane-tan?" The member of Grigori stated with a curious tone and getting a nod from her.

So that is her name? Kogane...-tan? His mind registered that name for later and-

"So that explains a lot. Millicas, I hope you truly are uninjured as we need to move you out now before things get-"

"**I'm sorry, Hekishoku, but I can't let you do that.****"**

T-That voice! The boy remembered the smiling young man, the one that led the attack on the house. B-But where was his voice coming from.

"**I admit I wasn't expecting Grigori to spare some of their good men for this situation but… I guess I should enjoy this pleasant surprise the best way possible.****"**

"What do you want, Astaroth? You lost your hostage now and your words are empty." There was a 'tsk' and the noise of someone being pulled closer.

"**But that is the thing, Hekishoku, that little Millicas isn't my only hostage. You see, I came here expecting for his mother to be with his father and- Oh my, Grayfia-san, it's good to see you too today and… aren't you as dazzling as usual?****"**

"_**You shall suffer for- Gah!**_**"**

"M-Mom!" The boy exclaimed, causing the cruel man's voice to laugh at his visible distress.

"**Is the little child afraid of losing his mommy? Well, there is a small chance of her surviving this ordeal but… it will be an interesting price.****"**

"What do you want?!" Hekishoku yelled finally, causing the man on the other side to sigh annoyed.

There was a pause, then he spoke again. **"****I think the best way to properly solve this little issue is… if we spared some chat privately, Hekishoku. I want you to come here and join us all for some good, old mingling.**_** Face to face. **_**No one else but us good friends.****"**

The masked figure snarled but… bowed his head. "Fine then, I hope you have prepared your grave because I am sending you to your Maker."

"**So much hatred from a scumbag like you, I wonder how Asia would- Oh, are you angry, aren't you?****" **The man chuckled loudly, drawing another snarl from the member of Grigori as the young man turned towards the entrance of the large room.

"**Remember to remove your silly mask and cloak before going upstairs. This isn't a masked ball after all.****"**

* * *

"I am going to deal with that bastard." I stated loudly, proceeding to walk towards the main door.

"Brat, don't you dare-" I stopped and turned, causing Baraqiel to stop with his order.

"Sir, I either go and follow his instructions or he will cause another War. There is no other way around it."

The bulku man frowned, closed his eyes and finally sighed. "Just… be careful. And take the tears with you."

I nodded and started to slowly make my way towards the section of the underground with the staircase that led to the upper floor.

Surprisingly enough, I saw nor dealt with any possible traps lying around, managing to make my way safely to the white staircase. Before making my first step up, I followed the orders and pulled off my mask and cloak, putting them on the ground as I slowly started to make my way up and-

My body tensed quickly as I saw the cloaked figures jump from their hiding spots, the color of their clothes different from any of the other magicians and, the fact they were all rushing towards me with only a single one waiting at the end of the stairs, I knew whom I was dealing with.

"**By the way, have fun with my peerage, Hoitsu Sakakibara!****"**

Keeping quiet, I dropped in my Senjutsu form and engaged against the first group of women before me, ready to pave my steps in red to deal with this bastard.

_**The final act of this terrible situation has just began!**_

* * *

**AN**

**A wittle chapter for the next one. What I can promise right now? Two battles back-to-back in the same chapter. How is Diodora calling him and why did he ask the MC to drop his disguise? The Khaos Brigade has a terrible plans in store for him, something Ophis ignores about.**

**Little emotional moment with Kuroka and quick explanation why there is a drastic difference between her and Akeno in their scenes: While the MC has spent more time with the Himejima, she is incredibly bad in this kind of situations and both share very little in common right now; Kuroka is a big sister that went to make some extreme gesture to protect Shirone-tan, getting branded as a 'Stray' just to avoid his Master to experiment on her and her sister. Also they did have an abusive father in Canon and that is why I will work on developing her relationship with MC starting from a something he can provide and she seriously needs, kind affection.**

**Also some overview over Sirzechs and the others, the fact that Rias and Sona are now in their headquarters but only his sister is being interrogated and… serious Serafall? We are talking about someone that deals with Diplomatic affairs in Canon, I think we can all see why she would be the more level-headed to deal with the situations while trying to be helpful where she can. Impartiality yes, but cruelty is a big no-no.**

**Alas a quick reminder that Rias didn't actually 'offer Asia' to Raiser, but rather she let him take her to join Diodora's peerage. Add to the fact she was unaware of Asia being affiliated to Grigori, that the contract Raiser showed her looked genuine and that she 'gave her blessing', she didn't gave her up.**

**Was it still wrong? Yes. But do Devils pull this kind of crap once in a while? Yes to that one too.**

**Strangely enough, I think Koneko and Akeno are examples of that since they were both brought to Rias and then made part of her peerage.**

**Lastly for someone that didn't read/watch Diodora's section of the series properly: The man himself states that when he is fighting Issei, his power had been boosted by a fraction of Ophis' own energy. So if the fight with him sounds a little… weaker than the one he has with Issei in canon, it's because he is… nerfed.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Vongolaseiza012****: Ophis was bored. :)**

**Evyplayz121****: Raiser is trying to get the lordship of the Gremory Clan, while Diodora muses over the possibility that, if Ruval dies, the heirship would either go to Raiser (but that would be a terrible political move, acquiring too much power) or it would go to Ravel. Also he isn't completely cliché as a villain as his shock at losing was because he had been boosted by Ophis. He expected himself to be able to fight Sairaorg just with his power boosted and nothing more. Also about the assault, there were Magicians and the two Devils' peerages uniting in the assault.**

**Shallowords****: I plan to introduce some more characters, some female ones too, but while it might seem like I am doing extra-bonding with some it's because some needs extra attention for the friendship to be realistic. But no, if there is a harem for MC it will not be a… Issei's one.**


	24. The End of the Beginning

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 24****: The End of the Beginning**

* * *

_**You are holding back.**_

I grunted while blocking a kick and a punch from two different directions and countering with a dual uppercut, jumping back as soon as I did that to avoid an explosive spell to land on me.

The Queen and the Bishops of Diodora's peerage had long taken the role of snipers in the brawl, carefully taking aim with their magical barrages, ignoring whatever friendly fire as some of the pawns were dismissed by their indirect interventions.

There was no sign of betrayed looks on those who were hurt or rendered unconscious, there was no reaction whatsoever to the battle itself. I was fighting women with doll-like mindsets and that was starting to annoy me a little.

As much as I was overwhelming all of them despite the numerical advantage, I was still dealing with some issues presented by their constant assaulting. The Rooks and the Knights were the worst, keeping a safe distance and striking only when the moment was good enough to allow them to retreat afterwards.

Snarling, I let a rapier stab near my face, only managing to make a small cut on my face and allowing some blood to be spilled.

_**Stop holding back, goddammit!**_

_I can't kill them._

_**What? We are talking about the very people that are responsible for the massacre that has occurred. WE ARE NOT SPARING MURDERERS-**_

_AND I'M NOT GOING TO SPARE THEM. They will be put in jail and judged fairly._

_**By the very faulty judicial system of Hell? Are you sure that isn't an unfair and wrong kind of thing to do to broken dolls?**_

_I am talking about Grigori's. And whatever abuse happened to them, they still shouldn't be unable to feel pain. What could be-_

I ducked to avoid two kicks and rolled away as a Knight tried to capitalize on my complicated position, but my eyes widened as I started to realize what was going on with Diodora's peerage. In Canon the bastard did say that he had used a spell to remove the feeling of embarrassment from them and… what if this could be extended beyond a sole emotion?

'**It is possible. Those women don't seem like they had achieved such inner peace with meditation and a spell could cause this, yes.**'

If that was the case, then I could try to work on that. Spells can be broken fairly easily and I knew how to do it.

Just as the new wave of attacks from the Pawns, Rooks and Knights started, I began to dodge swiftly their physical hits, slamming my open palms on their ribs and pushing bits of my energy through their magical systems.

They had a surprised look moments later, some shaking terribly and falling on the ground as tears started to fall. Some even fainted the moment the spell was broken and soon I had removed the remaining Pawns and decimated parts of the other classes.

Whatever had happened to them prior to this event or even during this situation was resurfacing brutally and beating whatever empty determination within their minds.

Only the Bishops and the Queen remained untouched and looked fairly unconcerned by this since they were distant from my reach. Sadly I soon discovered that this predicament wasn't going to last long enough to make this fight a quick one.

"**Y-You can't do that! You can't take them away from me, they re mine! MINE!"** Diodora's voice whined angrily and I blinked with a small smile cracking on my face.

"Beggars ain't choosers, bastard."

"**YOU CUR! Kill him, show him no mercy!"**

The command quickly switched the current pattern the Queen and the Bishops had assumed until now, the long-haired woman took the lead and rushed towards me as the other two connected their magic to hers and boosted her overall stats.

I noticed early in the ensuing close-fighting that I was incredibly out-matched by the overpowered female, quickly pushed in a defensive stance as I tried and failed to get a chance to apply the anti-spell technique.

Differently from the others, the woman had a smile plastered on her face as she started to intensively bring the heat on me. I had to change strategy soon, my palms were hurting after trying to block the punches and the kicks of this stronger opponent and… I decided to pull a Krillin.

A blinding light erupted from the white orb forming in my hands, hindering the Queen and giving me an opening to rush at the distracted Bishops.

The first one 'eeped', not expecting me to rush for her and soon I had the anti-spell on her. Her body crumbled, tired mentally and magically after dealing with such difficult day but the moment I turned to reach for the remaining Bishop I was intercepted by a fist crashing on my cheek.

Eyes widening in surprise and skull vibrating at the monstrous strength coming forth with the punch, I was sent slamming on the nearby wall. Dizzy and confused, I could only turn as a kick pushed deep in my stomach, forcing my lungs to expel the air stored within them.

Groaning, I rolled away as the Queen engaged in a feral pursuit, finally speaking after so much silence.

"To think that you worried my Master. You are utter trash and your hopes are futile." I deflected another punch and ducked away from the following kick. "His love is what make us great and you will fail against him."

"E-Eh? L-Love?" I smiled, a little trail of blood falling off the corner of my lips. "I-I think you m-meant the s-sad r-retardation he is a-afflicted."

A furious roar at the jab at her King but this was all part of the plan as I dodged the kick and slammed my leg on her standing one. She tripped, slamming her head first on the floor and focusing on getting up so she could continue the fight but…

I was already rushing at the other girl, hands ready as I grasped her shoulder and had her magical core cleansed at once. Her hood feel, dark-blue eyes widening as the young woman fell on her knees with her mind unrestrained, reducing the number of my opponents to just-

"GYAAAAAAAAH!" "Ugh!"

-One.

The Queen tried to tackle me down, but the sudden deprivation of her boost made her strength more manageable and made it possible for me to hold her stuck in a forced hug. "Y-You will not win, my Master-" She stilled, the anti-spell fully curing her of the mind-control. "M-My Master- I-Is."

For a moment, she said nothing, her eyes going wide open, her brain recollecting all of what had happened today, yesterday and even much before. Her hold slowly tightened and few instants later she was clinging on me as if her life depended on it.

"M-My Ma-No, I do- C-Can't believe that-"

"_Shhh._" I had one of my hands run through her hair. "_It wasn't your fault."_

She tensed at the touch, but soon she craved for more relief away from that terrible waterfall of guilt and suppressed emotions. "D-Don't le-let go." She sobbed madly on my shoulder and I was slowly feeling my torso creaking, my ribs a little bruised by the previous fight and… it wasn't over yet.

"I don't want to let go, but I have to stop your Master from hurting others." Her hold tightened even more and I sighed. "What is your name?"

She twitched and seemed still troubled by the fact her current emotional crutch had to go now of all times.

"I-I am not going to let anyone hurt you, but I can't even have you get hurt by that bastard." I motivated once more. "What's your name."

She blinked twice. "E-Elea. My n-name is Elea."

"Ok, Elea..." I started, noticing that for some reason my backpack was… wet. "I know that you are scared and I can assure you that nothing will happen to you, but I need you to help the other girls to reach the underground section. Th-There my group will help you and-"

She sniffled. "A-Are you lying? I hurt people a-and you still want to help me?"

I blinked at that interruption. "Do you want to hurt people now that you are free from that spell."

Another sniffle. "I… I don't want to."

A small smile was now in my face. "Then you are good in my book. You all are and… you should seek some safe place, so I entrust you with their safety while I deal with Diodora." She flinched at the name but she trembled a little less now. "Can you do it for them?"

Grey eyes glanced around, her hands still grasping at my shirt and then… she let go and nodded slowly. "I-I will help them."

I smiled widely. "Good, I hope you all will recover soon then, Elea." I turned and started to finally rise through the stairs.

"B-Be careful…

**H-Hoitsu-sama!"**

* * *

Rias Gremory was mesmerized by the monitor from which everyone within the Maous' headquarters were staring at.

After experiencing a lengthy interrogation with a dead-serious Serafall, the heiress had expected things to be uncertain until the proclamation of her punishment which was to be delayed until the crisis was averted.

Saddened by the fact even her brother wasn't deigning her of a reaction at what had happened, the redhead was ready to spend this time to think what kind of punishment she would have to endure after this predicament, knowing full well from Serafall's own mouth that leniency was mostly off the diplomatic table with Grigori.

Azazel might not be calling for her execution, but he wouldn't never let her go free and without getting some proper justice passing through. It was unnerving, to know that the situation was going to end up getting worse even now that she felt bad about what was happening around her.

Sona had picked a chair and was sitting few meters behind her but her reaction to the broadcast they were all looking at was enough to make it clear she wasn't the only one finding this development incredibly unexpected.

While she had been quick to pick up that Hoitsu was stronger than she had initially thought, it was a shocking matter the whole idea that he was Hekishoku all along. The very masked individual that had been there during one of the Gremory's lunches was the very individual she found herself at odds in Kuoh Academy.

It wasn't that she was angry at this, merely surprised that he had been this close to her family and that he knew of her real situation. It was surreal at first, then Azazel decided to deign them with some background about how he had found him and why he considered him an important asset within Grigori.

"He is responsible for dealing with a rather rogue cadre within Kuoh Town and I think his baptism of fire was fighting the very leader that sought to betray me, the Fallen Angel responsible for your Pawn's first death."

Now that was something that gave her much more insight when and why he got approached by Grigori, but it was still absurd to think a mere human was capable of reaching this level. There are individuals that have some major powers that makes them capable of fighting evenly with Devils and other supernatural beings, but those were special cases that were either blessed by Sacred Gears or by Heaven's gifts.

Hoitsu had neither the first nor the latter, yet managed to stand strong against a strong peerage like Diodora's and beat them without shedding any blood.

A feat that was as praise-worthy as confusing, the teen having no reason at all to spare the group of women that followed the traitorous heir of Astaroth.

Yet as the fight unfolded and the conclusion was revealed, Sirzechs spoke up, bringing up a possible theory with a disgusted toneto. "Diodora's peerage looked unaffected by pain while sustaining attacks, then as_ Hekishoku_ went close and personal they seemed to freak out or fall unconscious one at the time."

"You mean Diodora used a spell that denied them the freedom to feel?"Serafall added up. "That means that Hoitsu-tan used the Anti-Spell to forcibly remove such foul mind-control."

Rias felt some anger rising at the idea that someone would do something to their peerages. Hers and those of her own kin's were all family to the Gremory clan and… yet the fury stirring within her chest was attenuated by the knowledge she had almost condemned Asia to that fate.

More guilt drowned her anger, as she stared away from the screen for a while, noticing at that point some footsteps approaching. A glance back, behind Sona, gave her insight to whom was approaching and her eyes widened in realization and surprise.

"R-Ruval-san, Sairaorg-san."

The tallest of the two gave her a kind but shaky smile while the Phenex heir gave a formal nod at her.

"I see that sir Hoitsu is the one that Diodora seek to fight now." The blond man stated with a little grimace. "A pity that you didn't have the chance of joining him then, Sairaorg."

The Bael shrugged and continued to stare at the monitor.

"P-Phenex-san, you mean that you know Hoitsu-san too?" Sona looked surprised, but she was dealing with this numerous developments much better than Rias was, managing to formulate questions that the redhead was having trouble to create out of her shock.

"I've meet him two days ago while I was trying to search for the Heiress Gremory to discuss about the awkward stance the marriage contract was turning into. I ended up chatting with him once I learned that the Heiress had left the school early from her usual time there."

Her cheeks were now sporting a blush, her mind bringing up the events of that specific day and reminding her how humiliating it had been. Trying to get Issei's attention and try to befriend him a little more by using her relative capacity to deal with intimate situations, she only ended up at odds with the very blonde she had allowed to go with the younger Phenex brother, her advances towards Issei called out as forceful and embarrassing.

A sore memory that was now revealing to be quite compromising of her current role in the predicament. It wouldn't be far-fetched to believe that her Pawn was now connecting dots between that brief and insignificant strife with the actions of the following day.

"And that form, is that what you were mentioning back when we were chatting in the car, Bael?"

The Strongest Youth hummed, eyes narrowing in analysis but the powerful Devil shook his head negatively. "While the appearance is the same… he seems to be in control and that smoke… it's negativity itself." His eyes widened in shock. "T-That his pure Senjutsu, somehow he is purging out the negativity that comes with the absorption of natural energy."

Azazel sighed. "That is something that only the brat can do. Sadly, it is unique to him and I can't explain how exactly he is doing that."

"I don't mind, Governor-General." Sairaorg replied with a nod. "It just gives me the thrill to understanding him when we will be sparring."

Rias was fairly sure she wasn't the only one sensing the certainty in her cousin's voice and the presence of 'when' and not of an 'if' to describe such spar.

"You and your spars, you moron." The Phenex sighed while shaking his head in disappointment. "Anyway, I think we were talking about our chat." He nodded to himself.

"Well, as I was saying, the man was kind enough to give an outlook of the situation and was good in bringing up some interesting and glaring flaws of the contract that not even father was aware of and, after a quick investigation, we confirmed that something was off about it." Ruval explained, ending with a sigh. "This caused for some inquiries about some of the rumors about Raiser's current peerage and we confirmed that part of those revealed to be true. While he hasn't forced any of the women to join his peerage and their poly-amorous relationship is genuine, the fact he made his peerage his very harem with the exclusion of our youngest sister is enough to warrant some personal interrogation to verify his standing as a proud member of the Phenex clan."

"H-He put his young sister in his peerage?" Sirzechs' eyes were wide open, a little pale at the idea that someone would do something with their peerage and then cast her own younger sibling inside such a travesty.

"Something I was unaware of, Lord Lucifer. It is why once I learned of this heinous activity that I swiftly went along the procedures of our family to bring up this shameful behavior to my father and mother, Lord and Lady Phenex."

"And how they did react to this?" Serafall butted in, causing Ruval to sigh tiredly.

"They said that the circumstances were odd, but Ravel had mentioned the reasoning behind such action."

He hummed before continuing. "Raiser wanted to make sure that Ravel had some minor experience for her future peerage, thus he made sure to make use of temporary pieces to make her part of his group. Since he wasn't much of a planner for any of the Rating Games, it was mostly my sister that laid off the schemes to use during the fights and… the results were interesting."

"Since last year, Raiser started to win more matches than before." Sona remarked, remembering studying his RG style. "But to think that the very reason of this phenomenon was Ravel-san..."

"It's an impressive detail that I had some time to study and, if her role is devoid of major implications to this crisis, I wished to make her my apprentice until she is old enough to have her own peerage." Ruval gave a small smile and Sirzechs.

"That sounds… unorthodox, but I guess that would be a good way to prepare her for the harshness of the games early on." The Lucifer confirmed and…

"The brat is opening the doors, let's see what kind of situation we are dealing with." Azazel called out loudly as indeed the boy was pushing the tall doors open.

* * *

_Why are those doors this big and heavy? Why not do some normal doors._

_**Maybe it was cool hundreds year ago, like some form of hellish mecenatism.**_

'**Mecenatism? What is that?**'

_**There was a period where instead of going at war for some dick-measuring contest, various nobles would 'fight' against each other by commissioning important artists and getting some paintings or building to prove they were rich and strong.**_

'**That sounds incredibly dumb.**'

_**Like the pyramids one would say…**_

'**That is… fine, that is a good point you made. Okay?!**'

_Both of you please some silence, this situation is already dreadful as it is._

Before I reached for that massive door, I had the opportunity to glance inside the backpack and see why there was liquid dripping from it.

When I was slammed on the wall by Elea, the bag took the brunt of the hit and most of the small bottles containing the Tears of Phoenix were destroyed in the process, two now remained after I had used one to refill my energy and magic before the final fight with Diodora.

As I finished pushing the doors open, I walked inside the large living room, my sight attracted to several elements, the first of those being the amount of shredded bodies littering most of the other entrance to the room, causing me to flinch at the stench and the sight of so many dead people.

Then I turned to the table where I saw Asia looking… fine. She looked particularly shaken by whatever had happened there but she had been left untouched and on her lap was…

_**She**__ was smiling and a shiver went down my spine._

Trying to ignore the terrifying expression in the Infinity Dragon's face, I noticed Raiser looking at me warily, his peerage seemingly positioned to defend him rather than prepared to attack me, something strange since he was part of the terrorists in this situation.

And finally I saw Diodora.

Smiling emptily, the heir to the Astaroth family had a green sword poised right near the throat of a kneeling Grayfia. The maid looked incredibly angry, but she was doing a fine job in showing just a minor scowl through her usual poker face.

Behind them I could see a bubble-like barrier of light-violet and the parents of Rias held within them.

"You are finally here, you filthy scumbag." The Devil said loudly, his left brow twitching in possible annoyance. "Good to know that your troubling self shall be dealt with today by a proper noble before you can cause more issues to this proud society."

I tilted my head in confusion. "You are a fucking terrorist, you twat."

Asia's eyes went wide-open and her hands went to cover Ophis' elf-like ears much to the goth girl's confusion. It was a sign that the former nun was utterly unaware of what being was currently enjoying being coddled by her.

My crass comment seemed to make his smile fall a little. "And also foul other than disgusting. A filthy human trying to fit in a place where only pure-blooded, strong Devils are meant to exist. You are proof that Hell is in need of renovation, a restoration to a better time where a Devil was a Devil, not some carefree fool that besmirch the noble name of the 72 Pillars."

"I'm fairly sure you are allied with descendants from heroes and most of them are humans." I rebuffed with a sigh. "Seriously, is there even a point to try to build up a patriotic facade if you can't even keep it up-"

"BE QUIET, YOU MONGREL!" A snarl finally appeared on the Astaroth's face, the Devil bringing the sword to draw a shallow cut on the woman's neck. "I am the one in control, I am the one the one with the hostage, I AM THE DEVIL HERE-"

"You are that kind of guy which mother called special but she meant particularly retarded." I taunted back, his eyes widening. "You are the little boy which gets rejected by other girls because he is all smoke and no real deal."

"Y-You-"

"You are an utter disappointment to the very ideal Devil you flaunt to be, you are incapable of doing things this magnitude on your own and I bet you even begged Ophis for her power before doing all of this."

"I-"

"He did." The dark-haired girl stated flatly. "He was rather pathetic."

"W-Why!?" Diodora looked ready to explode any moments now, the furious build-up ready to climax in a brain-fart. "_WHY DID YOU TELL HIM THAT-_"

She shrugged. "You are weak and… I think you aren't that useful anymore."

_**Damn!**_

'**To think someone as blunt like her exists...**'

The Infinity Dragon's words were what shattered the last restraints within the Devil's rabid anger, a loud yell preceded a sudden rush towards me, his sword now ready to reap my head off my body and…_ I jumped._

The sword missed and in that blink of an eye Diodora finally realized that he had just fallen to such stupid trick. He had lost his hostage, he was no longer able to assert any demands and… he was in my range.

I kicked down, pushing my knee on his unprotected face and sweeping him away. Without losing a moment to let him rest, I had some Silver Linings slamming him onto the roof and then back on floor.

A green barrier formed around him and before it could cover him fully, I turned part of the spell still wrapped around his chest to become a Light Mine. The explosion tore him off the barrier and sent some blood flying from his mouth. But no major damage yet, I blamed Devil's sturdy bodies and… wait, why the Light Spell weren't doing much on him?

'**He is constantly coating himself in magic, the damage of magical attacks is mostly nullified.**'

_**That means you go there and kick his ass the classic way.**_

_Understood!_

As he tried to stand up from the ground, another Lining wrapped around his torso and pulled him towards me as I rushed forward with my fist cocked and ready. The impact was loud and I could feel something break in his face, the sound a satisfying crunch.

He crashed on the floor again, blood spurting out of his nose but he managed to make some distance by madly creating new magical swords that swung madly and blindly around him.

"W-Whay ar you dis strong?!" He screamed while holding his broken face.

"Because I actually earned my strength." I mused loudly before rushing through the openings of that dumb pattern of attacks. "Yours was never refined, your raw potential stagnating into this and… you are going to lose."

"N-NO!" He had a sword prepared in his hand, ready to take a quick hit on me but… I had my Light-Saber in my own hand already. I dodged his hit and took a swing with my white blade.

His eyes widened, his arm flying away just like the hopes of winning this fight and actually surviving today.

He fell on the floor, his free arm dragging him away from me as he tried to reach for Raiser and his peerage, the pain and the bad odds on him starting to shatter the bravado that he previously had all around himself.

"H-Help me!" He begged, squirming like a worm having seen a large shoe ready to step on him. "I-S-ave me- I_ beg you_."

The brother might have looked fairly unwilling to help such a desperate bastard, but I saw an uneasy glint in Ravel's glancing and I sighed. "Right now your situation wouldn't warrant any terrible punishment. If you step in right now to help a confirmed terrorist you will face prison time and possibly the death penalty on the spot. I don't want to be your executioner, don't make me yours."

The blonde tensed a little, eyes glancing my way and then looking to the ground her face tinted in red in embarrassment at having to be 'scolded' in such way but… she sighed and kept quiet.

Diodora's last hope was lost and thus, without wasting any time in letting such individual escape, I stabbed down on his chest, right where his heart was. He froze and tensed at the sudden attack but soon… he slumped on the floor, lifeless as the final lights of his soul vanished.

Sighing I turned towards Grayfia and approached her, helping her out of the magical ropes keeping her tied up. "Everything's alright, Grayfia-neechan?"

She blinked at the usage of the nickname which was permitted to only one individual and she smiled a little. "So you are my otouto."

I blushed a little as she reached out for my hair. "you do have the same hair color and… the same softness."

_P-Please no._

_**Aww, is someone embarrassed by their Neechan?**_

"W-We should help Lord Zeoticus and Lady Venelana and- Asia." As I finished to speak, I turned to look at the human girl and- I found myself staring at two dark orbs with reptile-like irises, two soft hands pressing on my cheeks.

"I will free them… only if you join me."

_W-What?_

"I-I told you that-"

"I don't care." She stated blankly. "I want you to join. I want you to be mine."

..._What is going on?_

_**Something mixed between adorable and 'Oh my Gosh, we dying a Clegane Death'. But don't worry, I have a plan.**_

_What is he talking about?_

'**Something we have yet to test but… now I'm curious**'.

I frowned inwardly and as the features on Ophis' face hardened at the lack of a response, I saw a familiar white-gloved hand softly pat her head.

Her eyes widened immediately at the sudden head-patting but soon she became confused at the fact it wasn't me doing such thing. I felt someone moving from behind me and then the girl let my cheeks off, so I could see… a smiling Shiranai-

"W-What?" I whispered, completely lost now as the dark side continued to softly pat the girl on her head.

"Ophis-chan, can you not hurt my King?" He asked kindly. "I know that you want to have a friend around because you are lonely but… that is the wrong way to do that."

The goth girl frowned. "Uh, wrong? Who are you?" Her voice was surprisingly lighter than usual and Shiranai hummed happily.

"My name is Shiranai… but if you want to know what I am, then you might call me… the opposite to the Infinity."

_The Nullity. _I wanted to reply at that but I decided to see where things were going with this new development.

"My opposite?" The girl continued to speak with a wonder-filled voice. "So you are my enemy?"

"No, no. Quite the contrary, I want to be your friend." He replied with a happy tone. "But the reason we can't join is because that would hurt you and us."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Well, there are people that wouldn't like to have us around within your group and if you ordered them to accept us, they would rebel against you. That is why we don't join, because we know that you still want to have your 'silence' back."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Is that so?"

"Indeed." The formal-dressed man stated. "Tell you what. Can I pick you up?"

There was a moment of silence and I continued to stare at this scene in utter fascination. What the hell was going on?

Finally Ophis nodded, her arms lifting and waiting for the curiously kind man to pick her up and-

"Hop-Hop-Hopla." The girl smiled a little at the strange but oddly funny sound and she was quick to seek the warmth coming from the man's chest, snuggling and nuzzling her way closer to him. "We will be going to free Mr. and Mrs. Gremory and apologize for what happened."

She frowned and gave a confused look. "Why do I need to apologize?"

"As the Infinity Dragon you certainly have a vast amount of power, but with said power you have to have some responsibilities for your own actions. You can't certainly cause some ruckus and expect to go unpunished about it." Shiranai answered kindly. "That is why I was thinking of doing something that is actually going to be fun for you."

At the mention of the word 'fun', the girl had her full attention on him. "What is it about? What is the 'fun'?"

He chuckled. "Oh, someone is excited alright. Hmm, I was thinking of helping with repairing this damage." He explained quietly. "You see, have you ever played playing constructions with boxes and Legos?"

The girl blinked and slowly nodded. "Well, helping in repairing you will do something that isn't going to be scolded after and then you will find a pretty place at the end. Did you see how beautiful this once looked before it was ruined?"

The little child nodded. "It was super-pretty."

_I'm feeling some déjà vu…_

"Well, do you want to help in making it pretty once more?" She nodded. "Then we will ask to the owners of this house if you can help around in repairing, what about it?"

A small smile adorned once more her face. "Yes."

"Then let's go!" Shiranai proclaimed eccentrically, causing a small giggle from… Ophis.

I blinked once, then twice and finally decided to let my brain reboot at what had just happened.

"I will follow this… individual. I can only assume he is your friend." Grayfia said calmly and I nodded. "Then I will take my leave and… you may go for the young girl."

My eyes widened at that remainder, my attention snapping back at Asia as the blonde continued to wait patiently by her chair. I walked to greet her and she jumped onto me. "Senpai!"

**Thud**

Ugh.

"A-Asia-chan-" I tried to console the happy girl as she continued with her tackling.

"It was so terrible, even with little Ophis keeping me safe, D-Diodora was doing so many cruel things and-"

"I know, sweetheart. So you are not hurt, you don't need any medical assistance?" I asked with a little bit of worry to which the girl reply with a negative shake of head.

"I'm fine. Just scared and… I'm happy that you are here, Senpai." She said, sighing in relief as we both got up from the floor.

"I sure am happy to see you safe and sound, _piccolina_." (**Little One, Sweetie**)

She blushed. "_G-Grazie, fratellone._" (**T-Thanks, big brother.**)

Just as we hugged once more, I saw a familiar brunet blitz from the door I had come through and rush towards us.

"ASIA-CHAN!"

The former nun blinked in surprise as she saw a teary-eyed Issei pull her in a close embrace, her face showing a full-blush at the intimacy but… she smiled and returned the hug.

"I-Ise-kun." She greeted back, slowly pulling out of the hug much to the boy's confusion before going forward and steal his lips with hers.

Issei's eyes widened in surprise and then… he closed them, enjoying the first kiss with his romantic interest. The blonde started to cry a little, possibly tears of joy as I stared at the scene silently, smiling as my this wholesome pairing was finally getting to a proper romantic relationship.

Soon the others from Baraqiel's and Vali's groups arrived to the Living Room with Millicas and-

"This is a sign!" Kuroka exclaimed happily, citing the kissing couple near where I was. "I knew that you actually want it-"

"Nope!" I turned around started to sprint, my Senjutsu from sadly unavailable in that specific moments.

"You can't run from my love!" The Dark-haired Nekoshou proclaimed fiercely.

"_WATCH ME!_" I replied with equal determination.

"Niichan!" "Hoitsu-nii!"

Both Koneko and Kunou exclaimed, joining the chase too much to my distress.

_Why has this become a thing now!?_

* * *

**AN**

**Volume 2 is now passed and concluded! Only the aftermath and the first steps for 'my' Volume 3 remains to be announced and-**

**Quick premise for next chapter (it's necessary because it's truth time):**** While this story is a 'Regular kind of Fanfic', I've been thinking of giving some serious 'minor' X-overs to further bolster the current originality of the plot. What I am talking about? With the Khaos Brigade now unofficially announced to the Three Factions of Christianity, it's time for everyone to step up their game and… Azazel decides it's time to broaden Grigori with a new sister-organization with unusual members and new contracts. **

**Quick reminder for those who have just started to read my stories****: While many stories fail at this crucial step and screw up the entire plot in some convoluted mess, I've established some good planning to make sure that, the 'Stories' I wish to bring within the DxD one can fit in its Lore and can work with the overall plot. No, I'm not clueless about what to do now, I've actually decided to step up my own writing game and create a story only my ambitious mind can like and only my creativity can pull through. So yeah, it's some AU time.**

_**Future milestone 1: 626 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**CitricBlueWolf****: Daily~!**

**Evyplayz121****: Grayfia was already there with Zeoticus and Venelana, Ophis was responsible for the magical ropes and the barriers. Next chapter will have Rias' punishment and I hope to satisfy people while also being just with it as I'm not trying to bash anyone in this story… in particular. Also Ophis isn't… truly crushing, she is just starving for attention from those who can cuddle her around, that is why Hoitsu is her main target… before Shiranai made an appearance. Lastly, that isn't a Sacred Gear as the presence of a Dragon Soul on someone this 'old' would be mortally damaging, that is why Hoitsu-Apophis case is a special one.**

**Billy Reb****: Her punishment will be terrible for her social life, but there is no terrible things done to her. I am a jerk, but I ain't overly cruel. Another misfortune for Millicas is that Kunou is dense about love and… that is going to bite his ass in the near future.**

**RedBurningDragon****: Putting more energy in the Silver Lining he could technically do that, yes.**


	25. Politicking and the Next Step

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 25****: Politicking and the Next Step **

* * *

One would think that after dealing with the first attack of Khaos Brigade some celebrations would have been a must for a society like the one in Hell.

We were all rallying by the courtyard in front of the main entrance of the humongous house, my eyes widening a little at seeing Sairaorg and Ruval there too, the strongest of the two giving me a challenging smile as if promising some 'sparring' in the near future.

_**He is a man of action after all.**_

This very sentiment of calling the day off seemed to be pretty much what everyone wanted to do, especially to stop thinking at the issues relative to the reconstruction of the damaged mansion and at the proper trials for those that were captured, but soon the situation changed completely when a small group of four red knights appeared via a gold-like seals glowing from the ground.

Two were leading while wielding halberds while the others where wielding shields and swords.

"Hoitsu Sakakibara, your presence is required by Lord Bael at once." One of the four spoke, a masculine voice that showed no hints of emotions nor hesitation.

Everyone looked confused, some more than others, while a small part made by the Satans, the leaders of Grigori and the older Devils seemed to be wary of what was going on.

The Bael Clan wasn't certainly someone that invited people randomly, especially with such event just ending now and with me being… undesirable for being a human.

_**I think the big question is if they are referring to Zekram Bael or his son in this occasion?**_

_Possibly the 'actual' Lord by orders of his father. I don't think someone like Sairaorg's father would actually grace me with that kind of 'privilege'._

Glancing back to try and find Azazel, the man actually preceded me by taking hold of my left shoulder and appearing by my side. "Sadly this young fellow is not under Hell's jurisdiction and your Lord can't advance any invitation without passing by me."

The cool refusal caused two of the knights to look doubtful for a moment, glancing at each other before one of them spoke once more, his tone now grave and deadly serious.

"_Lord Zekram_ wishes to speak with the young man. It's a matter of utter importance and he has suggested that said importance is beyond _any possible wars_."

There was a sudden spike of tensions as the chief of the Fallen Angels was stumped first and foremost by the last words. I couldn't exactly blame anyone looking shocked by that phrasing, as Zekram was the one making sure a second War wouldn't ensue.

He was the one that killed Cleria Belial for discovering the true function of the King Piece, of the manipulation attempt from the Old Devils to control Hell forever. So it was either I was going to be killed out in his own house or I was going to be possibly bought by him to join his clique.

Both terrible predicaments with the latter outcome being far worse than the former one.

But I could recognize a dead-end when I saw one and thus, letting out a long sigh, I turned my attention to a confused/concerned Kunou.

"N-Niichan, where are you going?" Okay, her voice was just- I should run and- Another sigh, I patted her head and brought her close enough to plant a kiss on her forehead after removing her mask. "Ku-chan, I need you to stay with Ise and Asia while I deal with some old geezers. I will be home before dinner."

The blonde looked unsure about believing or not to that promise but… she nodded, looking quite uncertain herself. "J-Just be careful?"

I chuckled. "I will be super-careful."

A small smile. "Okay then." I ruffled her hair just for a few moments before turning back to the four knights and-

"What about me, darling?" Kuroka latched at my arm much to my chagrin. "Are you going to give me a kiss too? If so, in the lips and with some tongue, pretty please-nyah~!"

I flickered her in the forehead, causing her to mewl in annoyance as I gave her a deadpanned glance. "You have stuff to do, like fixing what you want to fix."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "O-Oh, right?" She nodded but didn't budge yet. "Still, not even a treat to console me while you are away?"

"It sounds like an intriguing offer." I mused loudly, causing her to frown at the sudden change of mood and, as she was about to call BS, I quickly delivered by 'killing blow'. "**[But I refuse!]**"

Her eyes widened, the Nekoshou gawked quietly at that unexpected Jojolity, but she detached her arms from mine and pouted angrily. "Don't expect to find a bed once you get home."

I started to walk towards the knights, confused at that odd threat as she hardly knew where I lived-

_Could she be-_

_**Oh my, that would be… exhilarating.**_

"W-Wait, I didn't invite you and-"

But the moment my feet touched the seal, I found myself whisked away from the courtyard and… some places' indoors.

Of course my face had to be the first thing that came in contact with the floor of said location, but after experiencing this for a long time now I was quick to return up and standing. My eyes were swift in scanning the large room, the highly decorated tall windows, the various paintings put in the walls and the big throne at the end of the room.

Two men, the youngest sitting on the 'royal chair' while the oldest, giving me a fierce and analytical stare was standing by his… kin's side?

I knew that the two were Zekram and his son, the Lord Bael and Sairaorg's father, but the anime nor the manga had ever shown the two and… I have to say that now I knew the main details of their family.

While the current leader of the clan had cyan eyes and the former one had orange ones, they were both brunets… just like Venelana and Sairaorg himself.

The guards that had 'escorted' me knelt in front of the throne and, seeing the Lord gesture them to leave, they complied instantly and… there were only the three of us there.

I glanced around and indeed the room lacked any other individual guarding the Lord's safety and I was quick to point that to the idea the clan was mostly too prideful to accept 'help' of that sort.

The Castle was filled with Elite Guards, but those were mostly garrisoning the walls in case the 50 or more magical barriers defending this unbeaten fortress came crashing down, which was highly unlikely and nigh-impossible with today's strongest magicians.

I returned to stare at the two 'heads of state', my eyes widening a little bit as I saw Zekram now standing in front of me, a strange smile on his face.

"You are Hoitsu Sakakibara." The old man stated. "The human from Kuoh Town that managed to… become this."

I frowned at the second part, but kept quiet as he sighed and glanced at me with a curious look. "Your curious form, the one that you defined 'Senjutsu', can you show it here… now?"

..._Why am I feeling tense from that request?_

_**Because for some reason some pragmatic old bastard is trying to understand something, maybe 'try' something to determinate something out of you.**_

'**This man is powerful, his eyes are sharp and attentive, but I can't get anything that should get us worried. Still caution is always advised in these situations."**

I gulped nervously and nodded, soon smoke rose from my body and my eyes turned from dark brown to red.

There was a silent pause, Zekram's eyes widening in awe while the younger Bael looked intrigued while continuing to look blankly at me.

"This… this is just like I had thought." A single gleeful smile, then he turned to his son. "Do you remember the tales of _him?_ Of his infamous stance, his unique energy pattern and… that deadly stare."

I tilted my head on the side in confusion at that description.

_Him?_

_**I think he is comparing us to… someone that is dead. And my current guesses are one worse than the other.**_

He snapped back around, advancing two more steps and then… he frowned. "But something… is missing." The Elder Devil mused loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. "Something that- Yes, that would work."

_W-What would wo-_UGH!

My everything was covered in red, a sudden blast of heat, of pure and harsh pressure was applied on my skin, on my bones and on my core.

The pain was immense, but my throat was dry, my eyes were in pain as my tear-ducts were forcefully dried out and I felt my entirety burn horribly.

There was a white noise aching within my ears, devouring at my sanity and only my heart-beat remained as something that fought against it.

It was rising to a quick pace, my heart drumming painfully within my chest and soon I started to feel it.

The** red** soon disappeared as pitch-black darkness replaced it… yet I was still awake, I could still see my own body in that strange place and… I blinked once more to prove that this wasn't a dream.

But this wasn't a new room, I was still back to the Bael's throne room, the red light was still here but was now clashing against the dark mist rushing out of… me.

Another blink, I felt my entire body going light with pure and raw power and then… the clash ceased and I found myself staring at a surprised but amazed Zekram and at a less-than-happy and panicking Lord Bael.

I took a breath of air as my 'Senjutsu' form ended, my legs failing as I found myself kneeling, my chest heaving up and down as I tried to make sense to what has just happened and why my whole body was in pain.

_**I-I don't know how- but you Core- Your magical core is-**_

'**For some reasons you absorbed part of that powerful attack.**'

_What?!_

_**I was busy purging the negativity, but the sudden outburst of that Power of Destruction spilled in the Core, and it will soon cause issue to our Light-type energy.**_

_What do you mean and- POWER OF DESTRUCTION?!_

My stare turned to the recovering elder and I narrowed my eyes at me. "Y-You tried to kill me!"

His smile widened. "Kill you? Of course not. You just… recovered something you are the rightful owner."

_What is he talking about!?_

_**The Dark-type energy is stabilizing and… I think it's being assimilated within the Core without issues. It's becoming part of us, but that would turn us in a Devil. I… I think I can do something.**_

_W-What-_

_**This is going to hurt… a lot.**_

A searing and burning sensation spread through my body, as if lava was being filtered through my veins and I felt something changing within my core.

I was quickly returned to my 'Senjutsu' form and a sudden burst of smoke completely blinded me as I felt my core burning some of my energy away. The process lasted two full minutes of agony and, once it was over, I found myself once more on the ground, this time feeling… oddly better than before.

_**D-Done.**_

'**Impressive.**'

_W-What did you do?_

'**Shiranai just purged some of the excessive amount of Dark energy, placing a remainder of it within an isolated section of your core and… it shouldn't be clashing with your Light-magic anymore.**'

_T-Thanks then._

_**Y-You are welcome. Don't use the 'Senjutsu' mode for some time now, I don't… think I can help you with that for a while.**_

"T-This is even better." My attention snapped back at Zekram, the founder of the Bael Clan looking like a kid receiving two gifts at Christmas by the same individual. "Y-You are like _him. _You are like Lord Lucifer a-and."

_...What in the goddamn fuck?_

_**This- No, this cannot- but-**_

The Old Devil stood silent for a moment, thinking about this development and then nodding. "This… this makes things even more complicated than I had long thought."

He seemed to snap out of his reverie moments later, smile vanishing too as he bowed my way.

"T-To think I would be graced to find a noble successor, someone that could finally restore a pure dynasty to Hell and-"

"W-Wait a minute, what is going on?!" I finally demanded, the elder pausing once more and nodding at my request.

"You are capable of holding Light, Dark and Human energy without being turned in any other races but your original one. Like Lucifer once could before his fight with the long-dead deity."

"I-I'm not going to rule over Hell!"

The old man frowned. "You should! It's your right and-"

"I don't want to rule. Plus what would happen if Heaven went in a fit at this revelation, what if they decided a new War is worth enough to kill the 'new spawn' of the first traitor?" I rebuked quickly.

"I have to agree with Lord Sakakibara, father." The youngest Bael finally spoke, looking sympathetic to my situation, if only because he wanted to rule Hell alone and in that Status Quo. "While he has the potential to become our greatest ruler, he is far too young and inexperienced to lead us in a Second Great War. If he was crowned so suddenly, not only we would face some social disorder but also deal with a conflict we are not prepared to face."

The elder nodded at that assessment. "I suppose that I was letting my own loyalty blind me once more." He motivated. "But still, we can't just ignore the presence of our Lord's proper heir and we shan't certainly forget to swear fealty to this young man."

_Why the fuck I'm dealing with this situation now of all times?!_

_**Damn Diodora and his idea of broadcasting the fight. Now we got this political issue to deal with and some old fanatics to satisfy.**_

"I-I think I need some time to think? C-Can I go home?"

Zekram frowned but nodded at my request. "If Lord Sakakibara requires some time to think, then I shall not indulge any further with my antics. Please do step on the circle and I shall send you back to Kuoh Town."

A golden circle appeared right between me and him and I walked on it without hesitation, my brain soon to burst like a watermelon if this madness continued to unfold.

Soon a blinding light took me away from Hell and back to Earth, my feet surprisingly not tripping on the ground itself as I found myself staring at one of the fountains back in the park in Kuoh.

* * *

I yawned tiredly as I closed the door behind me, slowly walking in the main hall as I lazily glanced at the living room. I could hear some noises happening in the upper floor, but my brain had yet to recover to the insane shenanigans I just survived, my main objective being quiet and peace for the rest of the day.

Sadly once more I found myself disappointed by life as I saw Azazel sipping some coffee from a cup he was currently holding. He paused mid-sip, one eye open as he glanced my way in a surprised tone.

The Fallen Angel stood up from his chair and walked towards me. "You are back, brat." His tone was neutral, just some hints of worry right at the edge. "It's been what, two hours since we last saw you?"

I sighed and nodded. "I returned an hour and a half ago, but decided to take a slow walk around to deal with the stuff I just learned about."

"Important stuff if you had to take so much time to think about it." He mused loudly. "But from what I see, you seem ready to fall asleep anytime soon and… I will bother you just with the more essential information about what happened while you were away."

We both reached for the table and I sat in front of him as he took just another sip of his beverage before starting to talk.

"We decided to make some quick trial for Rias." My eyes narrowed at this summarized explanation, but I nodded at him to continue. "Putting forward that she was guilty of being an accessory was the easy bit, it was picking the right punishment that caused it to be a particularly long 'quick trial' and we ended up settling with a detailed compromise."

"You aren't angry and I feel like it isn't certainly prison for her."

"She is too young and her influence as an Heiress makes her quite untouchable in some instances, in this case the punishment was moderated to a full year of house arrests and her peerage will pass until this sentence is completed to Sona Sitri's partial control. While she is the official leader of the Gremory's peerage, they are still free to decide if joining the Anti-Stray Devil raids or not."

"Sounds… incredibly mild." I thought out-loud. "I thought there would have been like two years, maybe three."

The Governor-General of Grigori sighed. "Trust me, there was a solid front about increasing that time but… the Bael Clan was absent from that sitting. Do you know why?"

..._Should we tell him?_

_**He covers your ass in the worst of the situations and he cares for us. Maybe? I mean, shouldn't he be that careful to not misjudge a situation at first sight?**_

'**I think you should tell him. It's a fairly big secret and it could destroy your current standing if you don't tell him.**'

I sighed gravely and nodded. "Zekram Bael said that my 'Senjutsu' form reminded him of someone else."

The Fallen Angel blinked. "'Reminded him of… someone else'?"

Another nod. "I- He said that I was- I was-"

"Lucifer's successor?" Azazel interrupted quietly.

…

_Did he just-?_

_**I think that it is the case.**_

My eyes widened. "Y-You knew about it?"

"From the very moment I saw the state your body turned into when you absorbed Light-type energy." The man mused with a sigh. "I thought it was initially a coincidence, but then I saw your determination and… I was reminded of him when I started training you."

I blinked in confusion, but decided to not speak about it.

"It was before… he was truly turned in a Devil. During the Primordial War where he challenged God in a true fight. Before he lost and… become something else." The man said with a quiet tone. "He was scary bastard during the Rebellion, he would fight without any sign of fear or doubt and… and he was incredibly caring for his comrades before fully falling from Heaven."

"So…" My throat was sore, I wanted to sleep about this mess of a revelation. "Heaven will seriously seek to kill me?"

"Michael and Gabriel wouldn't because they knew Lucifer personally before his True Fall and will… have quite the weird reaction at meeting you." Azazel sighed. "But some Angels will not hesitate to hunt you down and end you before you become a threat to them."

"Seriously, why is my life such a mess? Now not only I have to deal with the aftermath with some people in Kuoh Town, but I have to deal with this Devils' affairs too." I closed my eyes and slouched on the chair.

"Mhhh…" Azazel tilted his head on the side, humming thoughtfully. "So you would say no if I had some important mission for you?"

I cranked an eye open and glared at him. "Not this early and-"

"It's a long-term one outside of Kuoh Town. A recruitment campaign of sort."

"There is Kokabiel that-"

"Fuck him, I will have Vali kill him. You need to get out of here for at least a month and… I have thought of forming something to fight back the Khaos Brigade." He groaned tiredly.

"Then why are you telling me to recruit people? Shouldn't you be nagging at the Satans and to Michael about it-"

"I will do that, but this can't wait, especially with the intensity of those attacks. We need a new group, semi-dependent to Grigori that will hunt down the KB before they can strike truly." Azazel interrupted once more. "I want you to lead this group, this Omega Initiative, and counter the plans of those wishing to cause mayhem across the world."

"And I have to ask then, how should I recruits people if I don't know where-" He passed a piece of paper across the table. "-To go- Okay, what is that?"

"A week ago Tokyo was subject of a brief battle between a Yokai-led terrorist group called Fairy Tale and a large coalition of fellow Yokais led by the two former Dark Lords. Yasaka was particularly busy with the aftermath as part of the Yokai world wished to open up to humanity and… that led to some sudden secession of the Yokai world."

_**You got to be fucking kidding me.**_

_T-This could be a coincidence- I mean, we got a parody of Dragon Ball and a man like Satoshi so-_

"Tomorrow morning I will have some more equipment for this first task in the long-term mission, there will be some paperwork to compile later on and some objects you shouldn't touch until you read the manuals- I think I should also add that the place is filled with young Yokais that have little control over their… instincts, thus some might be hostile early on."

He clapped his hands once as I continued to stare silently at how _nice_ the texture of the table was. "I guess I will leave you to your rest. I don't wish to cause any brain damage, especially now that you need to take care of the ladies waiting upstairs."

I continued to contemplate how good this furniture was.

_Seriously who would have thought that-_

The door finally closed and my mind shifted back on the very real issue.

_FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! Why do I have to deal with the Rosario + Vampire cast now? WHY DO THEY EVEN EXIST IN THIS UNIVERSE?_

_**I mean, it's not that far-fetched that their logic could apply to this world. Plus both are mostly similar Harem-genre series so-**_

"NIICHAN!" A golden and fluffy Chibi-kitsune-sized bullet blitzed mid-air and slammed onto my waiting arms. "You are back!" I smiled and chuckled at Kunou's excitement but, as I was starting to pet her, I heard more footsteps coming from the stairs.

_**Wait, didn't Azazel say something about 'Ladies' as in plural-**_

"Hoitsu-nii!" Cue the silver-haired Nekoshou following her kohai's example and joining in by sitting on my lap, much to my legs suffering.

I sighed but still smiled as I noticed their relieved expressions at my presence, acknowledging that since it was only those two, I could still make it through the day without any issue-

Two soft and curvy orbs pressed on the back of my head and I heard a familiar giggle, causing me to close my eyes in silent defeat.

"_Hello there, Darling~_"

...And Kuroka was there too.

* * *

**AN**

**We reached 626 Follows in FF! Yay! Next stop the legendary 696!**

**Also I bet nobody expected that little twist for Volume 3! Yes, road to Yokai Gakuen!**

**Quick timeline explanation: Volume 3 happens just a week after the final fight in Capu 2 (The manga, not the Anime sad adaptation). And the first task? Two individuals seek asylum as they are being currently hunted down by… shady individuals!**

**As I said before, I don't plan to incorporate full stories within this fanfic but characters will join up this Omega Initiative. It's like Avengers, but Anime Style and… realistically possible.**

**I will add in every AN the new member of the Initiative, starting with our current members at the formation of such group:**

**DXD:**  
**-Hoitsu Sakakibara (Human/Leader);**  
**-Kuroka Toujou (Nekoshou/Second in Command);**  
**-Kunou **_**Sakakibara**_** (Yokai Kitsune/Member);**  
**-Koneko (Shirone) Toujou (Nekoshou/Member);**

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Evyplayz121: There will be some punishment for Raiser and his peerage, but it will be known only a little bit later. Also the reason why I manage do to stuff even without 10k long chapters is because I prefer to focus on the action and little on the descriptions of places and people. It's an odd style, something I was even reprimanded for, but the reasoning behind this choice is because I think the reader want a quick-paced and a story they can develop with their imagination by reading it. Some characters like my SIs are sometime purposely left not-described as some readers can paint them how they ideally would want their protagonist to look like.**

**User may be a smug prick: Dante just called. He says that punning that much warrants a tenth circle of Hell. (But yeah, that sounds fun. xD)**


	26. Reconciliation and Road to the Gakuen

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 26****: Reconciliation and Road to the Gakuen**

* * *

Akeno sighed as she finished placing the umpteenth box filled with important documents in the Student Council's classroom.

With Rias confined back to Hell and with Sona assuming the role of leader with those of the Gremory's peerage that decided to accept the offer of combining forces for any raids against Stray Devils that required more people than the Sitri's peerage had.

But it was the Himejima that had the extremely delicate role to act as the 'Regent' for Kiba, Koneko, Gasper and Issei as the Queen of the Rias-less peerage and that required no little tact with her rusty but available diplomatic side.

Sona was understanding and didn't put too much pressure on her new temporary subordinates, approving the idea of first letting some days pass but she there was also the fact that she valued the Priestess of Thunder less of the Crimson-haired Ruin Princess, considering that Akeno didn't have any major family backing her and because she was also a hybrid of Devil and Fallen Angel.

The young woman's eyes showed tiredness, the strain caused by the several events happening in the last few days denting at her own composure, draining her of the energy to properly deal with the more difficult lifestyle she was going to face for some time.

Akeno was glancing at the remaining boxes, thinking which one she should pick, when her ears caught someone knocking by the door. Violet eyes slowly and quietly turned to the origin of the noise and soon widened at the sight she was bestowed with.

The last time she saw her father was back when her mother died, when he failed to be there to save her from the aggressors bought by the Head of the Himejima Clan. Sadness swelled deep in her heart, her mind pushing her attention back at the papers that needed to be moved away, to try and ignore a reunion she wasn't ready to deal with after so much time has passed.

The girl had long hoped to face her father when she had found happiness in her life, when she would have had enough strength to brave that traumatic scene of her childhood and come out on top victoriously.

Yet this wasn't going to be the case from what the man standing by the door. Baraqiel took just two steps in, pausing the moment Akeno flinched visibly and glanced his way with narrowed eyes.

"W-What do you want?"

The involuntary stuttering messed her plans to appear at least strong outwardly, the reaction she got from him was one of pity and sadness.

Things that she truly wanted to have nothing to do about with this individual and yet the young woman felt hesitation at stating this even in her mind. He didn't make a move for some time, he seemed to wait for something and it was right in that moment the Himejima realized that her breathing had quickened, her eyes had gone wide once more and something wet was now trailing off her cheeks in two distinct lines.

Another step forward from the Fallen Angel, but Akeno didn't move. She _couldn't _move or- She couldn't bring herself to move as the man finally took the initiative and wrapped his big arms around her, pulling her close in a careful and caring hug.

She stiffened at first, her mind finally spilling some of her troubling thoughts in the form of emotional distress and then she let out a sob on his shirt. That kind of warmth, that kind of loving care and that large hand ruffling her hair softly…

The Himejima sobbed again, this time relaxing upon her father. It was just like when her mother had been alive, the times when her father would be at home to play with her, to be around as he slowly taught her about the nature and its beauty, of the surroundings of the small house they lived in and…

A small fragment, one she hadn't thought important until now, of the very memory that continued to terrify her even now started to clear up, the face of Baraqiel stained in tears while he tried to keep strong as she accused him of being the cause of her mother's death.

She had thought he would have forgotten about her, that he would have gone with his life by respecting her childish wish. Akeno was a fool, a very sorry one as the burly man that was her Papa continued to comfort her in that moment of weakness.

It's been so long since she had let go that little knot forming every time she tried to hold back her frustrations about her everyday and now that Rias wasn't there to give her a hug… she enjoyed one from her only family.

Hoitsu's words struck strangely well with what the young woman was feeling right now, the embrace now a primary necessity as she let go of that humble pride that kept her from being held by someone, to be an innocent bystander once more without the need to worry about being attacked by some assassins sent to eliminate her.

"My little girl..." Baraqiel muttered, playing a little with her hair. "You grew up so strong and beautiful."

His praises made her smile, yet the small line was quick to return thin and neutral as a sigh preceded her reply.

"I- I am not strong." The Himejima mused loudly. "I wasn't strong when Rias decided to accept Raiser's offer."

The Fallen Angel sighed. "That wasn't a matter of strength-"

"I could have advised her to doubt the integrity of- OF THAT BASTARD- Uh?"

The girl frowned as the man ceased the embrace and-

"O-Owie!" His hands were now on her cheeks, pinching those with extra caution to not hurt her too much. The Himejima groaned, the small punishment kind of annoying but whatever protest she had planned to express, her father decided to speak before she could do so.

"I remember how you would be this much thoughtful of past things, evaluating how things could have gone if you had done something or another different from your original choices. Why I remember a certain 'accident' about cold tomato juice being spilled all over Shuri when you thought it was blood." At that embarrassing story from her childhood, Akeno sported now a blush.

"I-I was only a child and Mama said that it was what vampires drank a-and I remember someone bringing mud inside the house-"

"After a certain little pest decided to make mud-cakes and ruin her pretty dress her Mama had bought to her just the day before." Her father rebuked smugly, her blush intensifying at the sight and at the words.

"I-I wasn't that much of a pest!"

"I can disprove that too but then again, I think I will stick to just call you my 'little girl' at this point."

A pout formed in her face. "M-meanie and-" She finally smiled. "Thanks for that, I needed it… dad."

His smile seemed to explode with pure happiness and she felt her heart beating at a relaxing pace.

"Your dad is also at fault for some… things that had happened in the last few years too..." He paused a moment, then he decided to tell everything about what had happened with the Himejima Clan.

Akeno was skeptical at first to learn that the new head, her cousin Suzaku, was now seeking to bring reform and harmony to the family and that she had been trying to find her to apologize about what had happened to her after Shuri's death.

But then Baraqiel pointed out how Hoitsu had promised to filter letters directed at her to start to reconnect with her estranged family. It was news for her that the boy promised such thing to her cousin, but she was the least surprised to know how kind the young man was and…

She frowned as the mental picture of his smile flashed momentarily as he was mentioned by her father. The following question, completely distanced from the actual topic, didn't bring much shock to the Fallen Angel.

"I- Papa, d-do you think Hoitsu-kun would accept an apology at this point?" Her voice was frail as her determination to ask was the lowest possible she could get. "I- I don't think he would accept it but- But I still wish to try and make amend for betraying his trust."

Her father sighed tiredly and looked a little disappointed about… himself? "I thought you wouldn't be giving pursuit to the brat, especially since he was that much unwilling to accept your affections-"

"He's only shy." She nodded, convinced of this idea. "If I had been given some more time before this whole mess… I would have certainly got a boyfriend out of him-"

**SLAM**

Akeno's eyes widened instantly as Baraqiel punched the nearby wall, almost cracking it open in the process. "T-That brat- I mean, surely there is still some time before you will truly need someone to love you that way."

"I've been thinking about this very seriously and he would make a good husband and father, that is why I wish to make a big family with him and- D-Dad?"

The Himejima now looked a little bit worried about the Fallen Angel's sudden new round of tears, the man recovering a few moments later. "I-It's nothing, A-Akeno-chan. Y-Your papa is just enduring the gnawing of his paternal instinct."

"Oh?" She blinked quite surprised by the response she got. "So that means that you wouldn't… approve of him?"

He sighed gravely and… shook his head. "He might be a brat to me, but he would certainly be genuinely caring. The problem is..." He double-facepalmed. "HE IS TOO GOOD AND I CAN'T FIND A REASON TO HATE HIM!"

Hearing this the hybrid frowned. "So… can I bang him?"

"A-Akeno-chan, you mean 'date' r-right?"

She shook her head and gave a serious look back. "No, I want to make some loving baby-mak-"

"PLEASE STOP! NOT MY BABY GIRL!"

The young woman suddenly let out an amused giggle, seeing her father suffering because of her 'honest' approach regarding the currently missing Sakakibara.

"By the way, dad. Do you know why Hoitsu-kun was absent today? He certainly wasn't there today."

The Fallen Angel sighed, recovering from that dreadful 'torture' and nodded. "Currently the brat is out of Kuoh Town and I don't think you can contact him with the phone because of the place he is currently visiting."

She frowned. "So you mean that you were going to keep from me the fact he was going to be away from Kuoh for a while, do you have even a little bit of shame?" A sigh left her lips. "At least he will be back tomorrow, just like the usual."

But the Himejima quickly caught on her father's brief guilty face and narrowed her eyes at him.

"He _is_ going to be back tomorrow, right?"

The man started to sweat a little, nervousness plastered in his face as he replied in a half-whisper. "_A-A month._"

Akeno didn't reply immediately after hearing this, pausing a moment to contemplate about something and then… smiled sweetly.

"Daddy dearest, I have the strong suspicion you just tried to not tell me about this very important detail. May _I ask_ why you did so?"

"I-I thought that this was going to be a d-day for us, s-sweetie. I d-didn't want to worry you and-"

"Oh, but I'm _not _worried, quite the contrary." Electricity started to dance around them as her smile widened. "Why, after learning about this I was thinking of making this bonding session… really special."

The circle of electricity started to tighten up around Baraqiel, the man gulping and blushing as he was given a final confirmation as the 'thunder' struck.

Her baby girl _did really take after his beloved Shuri after all!_

* * *

_**A few hours ago...**_

Like Azazel had promised some hours ago, the two expected medium-sized boxes arrived early in the morning.

One of those contained all the papers and the documents explaining what the 'Omega Initiative' was meant to be and represent, while also providing more info about what I was supposed to do with the recruitment gig.

A group formed to intercept, dismantle or utterly destroy the forces connected to Khaos Brigade and any other terrorist groups from the supernatural world, formed by the strongest heroes this generation is renowned for while aided by Grigori with resources and commodities.

What truly surprised me was how members were supposed to be 'incorporated' within the group.

The other box contained several paper-thick discs that reminded me of Hockey's pucks because of their relative forms. Continuing to read the documents I was given a clear description of what those were.

Those 'Paradigm Enlists' were a creation from Azazel himself, enchanted pieces that had functions similar to the Rating Game's chess pieces, with the main difference being that those who accepted this object wouldn't be eternally attached to the King piece.

There wasn't a King piece actually as I wasn't supposed to have one of those.

The PEs offered a minor overall boost to the people owning them, draining a small amount of Magic energy once every few minutes as a price for the improvement. It was the first attempt from Grigori to make something based off from Ajuka's best-known invention but the results yielded also some minor flaws within its usage.

The large number of unused PEs that had been sent to me wasn't an unusual circumstance as it was expected for the pieces to break if powerful surges of energy were pushed onto them, weakening the user but also putting them in danger if they don't remove the defective one as quickly as possible. Thankfully, the pieces could be safely removed once these broke and could easily be replaced by new ones.

There was also the difference about the contract used to bind the members to the organization compared to Grigori's common paperwork. While it didn't enforce any loyalty from the members to the leader, the rules forced the member to commit to the cause for at least a full year before being granted the chance of resigning from the role.

While it wasn't something many would worry about as only those that wanted to fight for the cause were going to be accepted, the presence of this rule was surely going to create some friction with the group.

I sighed tiredly as I finished drafting the first list of members for the group, my brain trying to make some sense about Kuroka's decision to join up the group without hesitation. The young woman was incredibly difficult to predict, especially with how her attitude was more accentuated compared to the small appearances in the series.

I had expected her to do something the complete opposite, part of me thinking that Vali would have been incredibly annoyed that someone from 'his team' would suddenly jump ship and get in my group.

But it was the Nekoshou herself that decided to explain why she had decided to go for this gamble, knowing full-well how the white-haired hybrid was going to react at her decision.

"Mou, Vali can be prudish once or twice in a while," Her tone playful as she poked at my nose, while talking, drawing an irritated sigh from my lips. "But he mentioned that he wouldn't mind 'getting rid of me by letting me go with nyah'. He was rather… interested at your reaction at such situation, I do reckon~."

I will fucking find that bastard's phone and spam him with SMSs. I know things that would give him nightmares and- No, let's not get too much angry about it.

It wasn't 'that' bad, nor I expected it to get worse than that.

Ignoring this big concern, my attention was mostly directed at the decision of having both Kunou and Koneko to join up the organization too.

The doubt was mostly led by the worry I had of them having to fight some dangerous enemies and… not being prepared for the encounters. While some people could be beaten with proper preparation and improvement, there were some nasty monsters in this world that certainly wouldn't go down without a reasonable amount of strength already present.

Some people like Rizevim, even Euclid being a powerful individual as a second-in-command. The descendants of the Original Satans aren't certainly people to scoff at without knowing the extent of their full power.

I think I was adamant enough in promising to them that once we were done with this first task, I would have them begin training even more than before with Kuroka going to focus in teaching her sister how to properly tap and use Senjutsu while I focusing on unlocking the blonde's inner potential.

Kunou was born a strong, she had the opportunity to become far stronger than I could ever be given enough attention and care for the training schedule, but right now the little girl was much weaker than me, her physical stats just a little above someone her age.

I yawned as I tried to catch some rest during the bus ride, ignoring the fact that Kuroka had decided to pick my shoulder as a pillow and was now snoring and snuggling against it.

The two younger girls currently sitting in the row in front of the one the dark-haired Nekoushou and I were sitting in, either glancing at the lights of the dimensional tunnel or going for brief naps.

The magical bus and his mysterious driver, Nuranai, had arrived right on time as we punctually presented by the bus stop given by Azazel in the paper he had left to me.

It was odd to know that a world like DxD contained different series at once and, making some serious research about any other possible series there, I ended up finding out that there were… many.

Like tons.

Some were happening in Japan, others in Europe and quite the events in the United States.

_**The American ones did sure leave me some confusion as… why?**_

_I don't know, I just didn't expect __**them **__to be in this world of all people._

I was also half-tempted to contact some of these 'renowned' individuals, to cut the chase before things got messy, but in the end I decided to let this first mission come to an end before starting to plan the recruitment campaign.

There were some mighty warriors of different sizes, age. Great men and women that were going to be essential for the Second War that was now looming around the end of the one month time limit.

"You got yourself a curious group, young man." The ominous voice of the bus driver took me back to reality and I found myself blinking at him with a hint of interest. "I would dare to say that I see some parallels with someone studying at the school we're currently directed at." He mentioned in a nonchalant tone but…

Seriously, was he comparing me to Tsukune of all people? Nobody turned me in a literal chew-toy-

_**Yet.**_

_It's not going to happen._

_**It is.**_

I frowned at the comment and decided to fire back. "I don't have a harem chasing after me,_ headmaster_." My tone was mindful, but I did highlight the 'honorary' title the driver was supposed to be part of.

He shrugged, glowing eyes still staring at the inter-dimensional road. Then he replied.

"And that wasn't what I was referring to, _Hoitsu Sakakibara_." I flinched at the tone he used for my full name. "But I understand that it is a sore spot to you, for a man to have the attention of so many women at once."

I glanced at Kunou and Koneko, relieved to see both napping right now and giving me the chance of truly speak about this.

"Big harems aren't… a healthy thing in my opinion." I explained cautiously, the man nodding absently as if to gesture me to continue. "I think the more girls are after a single man, the more it's easy for him to unconsciously break one or more hearts in the process of politely picking the 'right one'." I said with the proper honesty.

People were quick to jump the fun-wagons of Harem stories, but just a handful actually minded the possible aftermaths of the story. Harem as a fictional genre, at least if as big and extended like the one in Rosario + Vampire, was to be used mostly for comedic relief rather than a proper push for the story.

In fact, I can easily say that the proper reason why Tsukune decided to go after Moka was… because she was the traction behind the entire plot. It was her family's past, the ambitions of her step-mother and her ancestor's resurrection.

It was the plot, or at least the more serious bits of it.

"That is something Aono-san braved mostly flawlessly, the affection of those girls still persisting even after he picked Akashiya-san." The driver pointed out, something I was more than aware about.

The former human did indeed achieve some peace with the others, while also keeping up that rom-com tone with the entire 'Harem'. But still...

I decided to nod at his point, yet I wasn't fully agreeing to him.

"Success is achieved all by being careful with what you have and being lucky enough to not get killed by heart-broken ladies." I shot back with a polite nod, waiting for a comeback.

And I got one a few moments later.

"Ah, women are passionate beings," The man sighed, his smoke brightening a little before he let out a tiny cloud to the side. "But I see that someone as young as you are know more about them than you let appear." The precise jab made me a little nervous, having hardly faced someone that would actually come and try to use some arcane wisdom against me.

Still, I nodded and ended that conversation here, unwilling to let myself open like a book to someone I had little trust about.

_**You did have a good relationship.**_

_I did._

_**Do you remember how feisty she was? Always affectionately trying to get your attention on her.**_

_She was rather lovely…_

I sighed as my eyelids dropped, my mind relaxing as I slumbered for a while and let myself wander in my thoughts of the past.

'**Care to give more details? Sounds like an interesting story.**'

_Long story short, I was romantically attracted to a very precious girl that she returned the feelings… but we ended up returning just friends after her father discovered my… less than acceptable views of things._

'**I don't think I've ever seen someone causing issues for something like this. Different religions or rival families, sure, but this is quite strange.**'

_This age is filled by morons that get dictated by the words of a few voices and then realize much later, when they get screwed by those voices, they start to lash out at everything around them._

_**It's a mad world!**_

"By the way," The driver's voice dragged me out of my rest once again much to my dismay. "I can only assume that you are aware of the situation at the school. I hope Azazel did tell you about our current… issue." There was some ominous tone around the last word and… I sighed.

"Cloaked figures recently attacked the school." I replied, remembering the scarce info the Governor-General left among the documents I had yet to finish to read.

"_Stray Exorcists_." The man pointed out with a minor frown. "They were trying to capture the heir of Mikogami and Akashiya-san's first-born." Nuranai commented with some… annoyance? It wasn't normal for the usually-stoic character to show this much negativity over something like these. Tsukune did face far worse than that in the last two years… so why did it matter now?

"There was also a similar attack against Akua and Kahlua Shuzen," He finally revealed with a tight voice. "The girls were being safely escorted by their father back to the Shuzen Manor to protect them from those that remained from Fairy Tale."

"I bet that Issa-san connected the two attacks and is now going at Yokai Gakuen right now."

"That is correct." The driver nodded again. "But the real issue is that the man decided to bring his daughters with him to the school, saying that the barriers at the Manor are still compromised and the one at the Gakuen are better than nothing." And I knew exactly why that is a problem.

As much as the author of the R+V series tried to give him a lighter attitude in the After-Story, the man was still a powerful being with a prideful and pragmatic mind.

But for me, the worst thing was that… Issa Shuzen was currently staying where I was going right now.

_Fucking great, now I will have to deal with a high-level Vampire too..._

_**It's still weird that he managed to recover Kahlua. Wasn't she taken by Kuyo at the end of Capu2.**_

_The final chapter does mention that Issa spent the whole month after the final battle trying to bring back the Shuzen family and I wouldn't put above him trying to find what happened to his two missing daughters._

_**Still, Issa Shuzen will be… quite troublesome to face if he decides to do any funny stuff with us. We could become a pawn for any of the remaining games if he wants us in that situation.**_

_I find it hard for him to strike first but-_

"We are almost there," The bus driver announced with a clear tone, then he grinned. "You should wake the ladies up now before you lose too much time there."

_What is that even supposed to mean?_

_**Mysterious words from mysterious folks.**_

Yet I was more than happy to comply to go and wake the three girls up.

Kuroka proved to be the greatest challenge of the trio as she decided to make a staunch stand and not budge out from her newly-acquired comfy 'pillow'.

Two minutes of tugging myself out of her grasp passed and we found ourselves off the bus and staring at the Academy from afar.

The nearby lake was red as blood, there were tombstones placed all around and there was some eerie feeling of dread only a decent horror movie would give to a spectator.

Yep, this was the place we were supposed to be.

_**Hopefully we aren't going to be road-killed by a silly vampire driving her bike to go to school.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Little fluff, the OI reaching Yokai Gakuen and… I do feel like this chapter short. You know what this means right?**

**Next chapter will have some fighting!**

**P.S. Rosario + Vampire was what made me comeback from my self-exile from Anime in general. I was busy with homework, difficult school years and that funny series managed to get some laughs and 'nose-bleeding' out of me. **_**Then Anime Capu2 happened.**_

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**User may be a smug prick****: Since this story will surely go beyond what the other ones are doing, I will expand a little differently from a certain point onward, I will not copy-&-paste in this case.**

**SkullWolfSteam****: Fairy 'Tale' is a canon organization in Rosario + Vampire. I will not be x-overing with Fairy Tail because it has little connection with the DxD series and I want to keep the x-overing at least realistic.**

**About the members of Omega Initiative****: It will have both dudes and chicks, I ain't planning a harem like that and… the first male member is going to be the 'Strongest Man on Earth'.**


	27. Crisis and an Awkward Vampire

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 27****: Crisis and an Awkward Vampire**

* * *

The moment I took my first step inside the entrance section of the Yokai Gakuen, I found myself hit by an unexpected wave of nostalgia at the sight of the familiar school's inner style and particular structure.

This place was burned in my memory as this was also one of my favorite series, loving absolutely the plot presented by the Manga.

Differently from Kuoh Academy, this place was built after the average Japanese school and was structured in a less-connected manner. Also, the simplicity and the modern touch of the buildings were a stark contrast with the antiquate but complex design adopted by the Western-inspired institute.

I blinked back to reality as I felt a familiar small and soft hand swiftly taking refuge in mine, Kunou looking quite awed by the sight herself, but at the same time she decided to be a little more reserved about her reaction and keep close to someone trustworthy.

Her fox ears were now in full display, maybe because she caught the scent of so many Yokais all around and, after almost a month living away with humans, I suppose she was getting overwhelmed by it all and wanting to let go of her restraints.

Koneko seemed to be doing fine, yet her eyes were still darting around to look for every single details of the visible rooms, possibly to… map things up? She did ask if she could give a look for any available map of the school, but sadly there was none in the supernatural section of the Internet and thus practical mapping was her way to deal with the new place.

While the youngest of the two Nekoshou continued with her quiet study, her older sibling decided to take this time to… ask questions to me. I had expected Kunou or Koneko to ask, but I was kind of embarrassed to realize that Kuroka wasn't knowing of this part of the world.

One thing led to another and I found myself explaining a little bit why this school existed.

"While Yasaka-san is the titular ruler of the Yokai in Kyoto, her control isn't as complete and basolute as it might sound in paper and at first look." I explained quietly. "While she is rightfully and legitimately leading the yokai as her people's ruler, the arrival of the Three Dark Lords in Japan caused some power struggle just few centuries ago."

Her cat ears perked. "Dark Lords? Like the one that appeared in Europe?"

Blinking, I found myself intrigued by that question itself, but decided to verify a little later.

_**Yeh're a Wizard, Harry!**_

_Please don't._

"Not 'that' kind of Dark Lords," I corrected her before giving a proper response. "The Three Dark Lords were the leaders of that faction within the Yokai's world that drawn support mostly from Europe. They believed that isolation from mankind was the best solution to avoid conflicts with Humans, especially after having to deal with the bloody aftermath of their war against… Alucard." I concluded with a frown. Now I couldn't help but wonder if R+V's Alucard had some connection with Hellsing's monster since both shared… similar powers.

Her ears twitched again with some interest. "You mean the monster that attacked Tokyo last week?" I nodded at her, still sporting a somewhat surprised look at that guess, and she nodded at that connection. "But how did it exactly re-appear back so recently?" Her question was legitimate, I guess people had yet to learn about the truth behind the Never-Ending Hunger.

"They sealed it the first time around after a costly war that could be considered a World War of vampires with a sprinkle of other monsters," I blinked at her snort but still went forward with my words. "Then someone decided the world needed to die by flesh abomination and unleashed it on Tokyo, I don't think I need to explain what happened to it." She nodded to affirm this conviction, but the young woman had yet to have her curiosity satisfied.

"Is the one responsible for 'that' dead, right?" She sighed as I nodded.

"Super-dead." I confirmed, quite convinced of it myself.

Gyokuro was dead, and Kuyo and Hokuto had to have been hunted down and 'removed' by Issa if Kahlua and Akua were now under his custody.

Still I wonder how things were doing at the moment, being perfectly aware about two very unstable girls presumably in the same room as several _overly-protective girls _and the boy said girls loved the dearest.

_**Ain't that a powder-keg scarier than the Balkans in early 20th Century?**_

_At least the 'War' has yet to erupt._

_**Papa Bismark want to know your location, Aono-san.**_

I had to bit down an amused snort at that.

'_Papa Bismark', seriously?_

_**Grandpa is taken by King Hassan. No need to shake 'that' boat.**_

_Fair enough._

As I started to realize that we had yet to meet up with our supposed guide, someone that had been promised to have us directed to the proper room where the meeting was supposed to be held, I heard quick footsteps approaching and-

"_I'M LAAAAAT-UGH!_" The feminine voice came to a halt as she went crashing onto me. The force behind that run-up was strong enough to almost make me trip too, but I managed to hold up as she fell on her butt.

"Owie?" She looked up and I found myself staring at a familiar witch. Yukari Sendo had just reached 14 and she still looked quite a child with her child-like mannerism. The little Witch blinked once, twice and then her purple eyes glowed in recognition.

"Oh! You are Koitsu Sakakibara!" I almost flinched at her giddy, fangirly tone, remembering way too well that now my identity as a professional-

_**Wizard Badass-**_

'**With an outstanding track of being present in some important situations.**'

I sighed and nodded at the little witch.

_...And that's how I started to regret having my mask and my simpler life._

_**Can't win them all. At least she isn't jumping at you.**_

_I think that's because of the fact, she is part of Tsukune's Harem._

_**Not officially. She is still a minor.**_

_Thank the Gods, there is a limit to the genre..._

'**At least you got some recognition, celebrity can be a double-edged knife and you could try to exploit it when it's the opportune time.**'

_Hardly usable. Fanatics aren't… the best bunch of people to be dealing with in a normal basis._

"That's my name, yes." I replied dryly, but also politely. "And you are?"

The young girl let out a 'eep' before standing up and bowing my way. "Apologies, I'm Yukari Sendo, Sakakibara-san. I will be your guide a-and-" She stood up and crossed her arms, pouting a little. "W-Why wasn't I told that you were the one I was escorting -desu!"

I let out a brief chuckle. "I can only guess that someone wanted to make it a surprise," I mused quietly back at her. "And I think they managed it pretty well from your reaction there."

She blushed, embarrassment mostly but I think there was also that whole 'Hero-worship' kind of cliché going strong within this girl. Seriously, I don't need fans and I _really_ don't want to deal with a fan club… ever.

"Y-You are right!" Yukari admitted nervously, then she sported a small smile. "A-And I should be doing my job instead o-of losing time there. Apologies once more."

"You are forgiven, Yukari-chan!" Kunou replied and the little brunette found her eyes turning to the blonde by my side that was around her age. Her eyes widened and then she squealed, rushing towards the kitsune.

I think my little imouto was aware of the effect she was causing and thus was ready with her arms spread and waiting as she got pulled up and in an embrace. It was quite odd to see someone just a little taller than her pick her up and then hug her closely.

"You are so adorable~!" What is your name -desu?" The little witch asked to the kitsune.

"Kunou Sakakibara." Kunou's voice was muffled in that hug and the fellow girl sighed heavenly.

"You can call me Senpai if you want, Ku-chan!" The magical user offered but-

It was with those words that I felt some dreadful aura coming towards us. Staring coldly at this 'intruder' and 'usurper', Koneko Toujou was glaring daggers at the fellow young girl, golden eyes burning a new kind of anger to me unknown.

**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ **

Quite interesting how the silver-haired girl had learned how to use the 'menacing' aura and I think from Kuroka's big smile that she was fairly happy herself at that discovery. But since we were supposed to be there for an important meeting, I decided to poke at the witch's shoulder.

Yukari blinked and turned to look at me with a frown.

"I don't wish to sound pushy but… we do need to get moving now before we turn up late." I finally pointed out.

Her eyes widened and she nodded, Kunou detached from the girl and we all started to follow the magic user around the school. She gave us a brief tour over some of the classrooms and the recent history of the school.

The institution was working only partially, most of the classes having been delayed until the effects of the 'Alucard situation' had been seriously dealt with, while also giving the chance for some of the older students to receive proper support from the teachers for their last exams.

"So the Bus Driver is also the Headmaster now?" Koneko asked out of curiosity. "Shouldn't doing both jobs be quite… troublesome?"

Yukari nodded at her legitimate question, an uneasy smile on her face.

"Nurari-san is actually Headmaster only by name, the job is currently being oversee by Ruby-san, she was something of a secretary to the former Headmaster."

I nodded at the truthful reply, knowing it myself that Ruby was the one that would tackle up the paperwork portion of the work while the Bus Driver intervened only if the situation required his… skills.

The walk was uneventful and soon we were standing in front of a dark-wood door.

Yukari knocked twice and waited for the muffled voice of an older girl which I could guess was Ruby to open the door.

Once she was inside, we followed closely, my eyes quickly scanning around the meeting room that was chosen for the occasion.

There was a large circular table which had several chairs around it. My eyes quickly noticed Tsukune and his harem, their stares directed at us four as we got inside the room.

Moka was the one that actually took a little to move away from, having seen just her changed appearance in the last chapter of Capu2.

Instead of her usual pink hair and inquisitive green orbs, she had now a similar appearance to her 'Inner' self. White hair, a symbol of strong vampires, and strong red eyes. She noticed my stare, her blood-like orbs shying away and I quickly moved away before I could give any wrong assumptions.

Kurumu was giving at us a blank expression as if trying to understand what kind of individuals we were and she hardly seemed different from her past appearances, while her 'closest' rival looked as calm as usual. Mizore's hair had just grown up a little more, not enough to be the same as her first appearance in the show, but still a little more than how I 'had left' her like. All in all, the passionate duo seemed to have changed the least compared to the rest of the cast.

In fact, Kokoa had… a completely different hairstyle. Instead of the two bushy ponytails, she had a small one, suggesting the fact she did have a haircut.

_**Wait what?**_

But before I could truly question this anomaly, I found myself staring at Issa and the two girls sitting near him by the ta-

**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ**  
**ゴ **

_**Shit, that is sure a scary expression.**_

'**This individual is rather strong. Do you know if we can truly trust him?**'

_Only if I am careful enough to not make foul comments or hurt his daughters._

Kahlua was smiling while she continued to look at her hands, her eyes looking in our direction only momentarily before deciding to not give us much of her attention and focus on… nothing in particular.

It was Akua that scared me a little more than the other two.

While Issa was the strongest and Kahlua was the most insanely powerful, the first child of the Shuzen Family was a masterful assassin and a keen strategist that perfectly knew how to fight in different situations.

Her **Hougestsu Jigen-Tou** only made her even worse to fight in a direct brawl, her capacity to turn intangible and use an attack that is impossible to block was quite the worst thing to face against with my current abilities.

She looked calm for the moment, her poker face quite perfected while her red eyes were carefully trained on us before settling on me. Her lips were developed in a thin line while her posture was mostly normal if not for the bare tension I could perceive from her at our presence.

We were a group of strangers, a very_ powerful_ group that was now in the same room as her sisters. A faux pas and we were going to have a dangerous enemy without even having the chance of getting some deal achieved.

Ruby nodded at us, standing on the farther corner of the table. She stood up and gave a quick nod our way. "My name is Ruby Tojo and I will be the one directing this meeting between the Shuzen Family, the Yokai Gakuen's representatives and the Omega Initiative-"

"W-Wait, Ruby-san. I thought we were supposed to meet with Grigori, not with-" Kurumu started to question but was then interrupted by the goth girl.

"The Omega Initiative is part of Grigori," The young woman pointed out with a small smile. "It's a recently-created sister-organization within Grigori." Her words were accepted by the succubus with a nod. "But I think it's best they introduce themselves rather I describe them by the reports Azazel-san sent to me." She indicated right at me.

I blinked and nodded, partly surprised by the advanced knowledge. Still I began introducing myself.

"My name is Hoitsu Sakakibara, I'm human an-"

"_Psst-_ Yeah, right." The feminine voice interrupted me and I glanced at the origin of that comment, only to find myself staring at one Kokoa Shuzen. The youngest child of Issa looked skeptical about my claim and I frowned back at her.

"I am a human being." I said once more, pressing more onto the claim and her eyes returned this with a confused look and then-

"He is a human." Ruby agreed to my words and cutting short the brief exchange. "His energy pattern is a human one." The older witch presented as a proof and… what is going on?

_Why would they think otherwise?_

_**We still are human. We didn't change.**_

'**And I can vouch that too myself.**'

"But his scent is-" Moka glared at her and Kokoa shut down her little comeback because of it.

_What was that?_

_**It could be that our scent is masked by Kuroka's and Koneko's. It hasn't to do with anything wrong with us.**_

I nodded, conceding to that possibility and resumed with my presentation. "And I'm the leader of Omega Initiative."

I felt Kuroka latching once more at my arm and smile happily. "I'm Kuroka Toujou, a Nekoshou, and I'm Hoi-kun's second-in-command, nyah~." She squeezed her cleavage harder on my arm to emphasize her point, causing some blushes within Tsukune's group.

_There are times I ask myself why bothering getting up from bed and deal with this shit._

_**Because deep down you find being set in this predicament rather amusing and somewhat refreshing once in a while.**_

_I didn't need to hear that._

_**Are you sure about that?**_

_Ye- Actually. I will not reply to that._

_**Mhh, is that so~?**_

I settled down with a long sigh but to the girl's widening smile.

Kunou huffed while glancing annoyed at the dark-haired neko. "I'm Kunou Sakakibara, I'm a Kitsune Yokai and I'm Niichan's surrogate imouto."

Some of the girls melted at the cute blonde's serious introduction, while Yukari smiled widely and nodded her way.

It was the turn of the younger cat-girl and Koneko looked quite… furious for some reason.

"I'm Koneko Toujou, a Nekoshou and Baka-nee shouldn't grope Hoitsu-nii."

Kuroka froze up and then let me go as she took a seat and looked incredibly depressed all so suddenly. "_Shirone-tan called me a Baka._"

Truly a saddening sight, but I 'managed to survive' through it.

The group surprisingly didn't react that much to the declaration, which I could only think was caused by the fact the harem had seen worse shenanigans that the one just unfolding now.

As we were now all sitting, Ruby once more took the lead and explained what was going on.

"Two days ago two groups attacked simultaneously both the Yokai Gakuen and the Shuzen Mansion, their intention was to capture Tsukune-san, Moka-san, Akua-san and Kahlua-san but they were stopped before being able to do so." The brunette started, then sighed and adopted a more grim appearance. "The reason why this should also a concern of Grigori, is because of the type of the allegiance this group has." She admitted with some certainty in her voice.

I knew that the culprits were Stray Exorcists, but still… that didn't make it 'Grigori's business' or at least it wasn't something that mattered to us in general. Many exorcists worked in Japan but not all of them were worth of Azazel's sending men to see what was going on there.

So why was this group in particular this important to even act against?

"The man that is leading the Stray groups is someone that was banished from the Church years ago, the reasons unknown from the official reports." She continued without hesitation.

"His name is Valper Galilei and we was once part of Grigori and-"

"Hold just a second, Ruby-san." I interrupted quickly, my mind exploding with info as I was given a 'big clue' over the situation given that the implications of the man responsible for the Holy Sword Project being responsible for those attacks weren't negligible. "I know that those attacks have been confirmed by Grigori, but I have to ask if you are 100% sure that this man is really responsible for those attacks." I pressed her, hoping that _maybe_ this wasn't truly the case.

I hadn't thought that Kokabiel would have parted with the man so, knowing how important he is in the series and for his plan but… why now he sent him off?

It was- It didn't make any sense.

"I did a thorough check of the men I had disposed. Their main connection being this former member of the Church." Issa replied cooly, his eyes fixed on my face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think your confusion is directed at the presence of the man, rather something else about the matter." He guessed rightfully.

I nodded. "Valper shouldn't have a reason to be hunting down vampires, his expertise being… the reconstruction of Excalibur by uniting the seven swords that are available to the world." I admitted quickly and without a doubt.

While the knowledge of someone trying to reform the blade was dangerous given so eagerly, I was also aware of a major detail. Nobody with a dark-energy core was going to be able to even come nearby one of the existing swords that once were part of the legendary weapon.

"Excalibur?" Tsukune asked a little surprised. "The sword of King Arthur?"

"The same, yes." I replied quickly and calmly. "The sword was one of the major Holy Swords that were created with the knowledge from the Territory of God, and it was born to become the strongest blade for Christianity." I paused a moment and then nodded. "Sadly, the original one was broken centuries ago and only seven blades bearing the same name exists nowadays, each having a small attribute from the greater sword."

"Valper desire to bring all of the Excaliburs together and have a powerful user for it to be held." I continued to explain.

"Now I find myself intrigued at this description and I wish to inquire if possible about this obsession being one of the causes that led to his banishment or not." Ruby asked out of curiosity and I blinked, feeling like that info wasn't going to be harming to Grigori if let out.

"Valper was responsible for the 'Holy Sword Project', an attempt to create the proper users of the various Excaliburs and possibly prepare the user of the real sword if breakthroughs regarding its rebuilt yielded positive results." I said with a little disgusted tone, pausing just a brief instant to contemplate how to properly word my following explanation. "The specimens were all children and the project was closed when the man allowed the elimination of those unfit for the task and proceeded to enforce energy transfusions of those that remained to a single candidate."

"Any survivors? Did they all die?" Moka asked, her tone frail and her pale skin even paler than before, Tsukune noticed and wrapped an arm around her to keep her close.

"Only a boy survived. He is currently well but… he got quite the hatred for Excalibur swords for good reasons." I replied and the girl sighed in minor relief while I shifted back to my explanation.

"Still I think it's odd Valper would seek out this four individuals, none of them having something that could work even remotely with this obsession-"

"Not with the sword… but I think there is something useful that Shinso Vampires are known for." Ruby interjected, smiling as she seemed to have got quite the good idea of the situation. "Shinso Vampires are known for many different abilities than normal ones don't have, but the one that is feared the most is their ability to absorb a human's or a monster's lifeforce, knowledge and energy. He is trying to recreate this process but within the user of Excalibur."

"And knowing how bad his obsession is, I would expect him to attack them until he manages to get them."

Everyone shared a grim nod at my affirmation.

Issa hummed and then nodded to himself. "The reason why I requested Azazel's help is also related to the situation about my daughters'… infamous reputations."

Oh?

_**Oh heck no!**_

"After what has happened in Tokyo…" The man's eyes closed in silence, few seconds passing as he dropped the metaphorical axe upon my back. I've been having trouble in keeping an eye on them while also dealing with the attempts to attack our family's name." His stare intensified just a little and I felt nervous of keeping eye-contact with him.

Seriously, this is Issa Shuzen. I could hardly keep up with him right now if he attacked me!

"That is why I decided it was for the best to have them recruited within your group. Your objective, the contract to join and the promising rewards are more than acceptable for us and… I will be grateful for the acceptance to this request of mine."

_We could-_

_**No, we are not recruiting those two. **_

_I know that-_

_**If you know stuff, then you should be the one saying no to him. We are talking about two insane women with dangerous powers.**_

"Sakakibara-sama." A feminine voice I was unfamiliar with spoke, my attention brought to Akua as the young woman was now standing up and looking fiercely at me. "While I know that my terrible past might be a deterrent, I beg you to at least take in my sister Kahlua." She bowed slightly. "While I can manage with my aggressors, I know my younger sister isn't ready to face our attackers and-"

She sighed, starting to unbutton her upper dress. "I-I will allow you to make use of my body."

…

I stood up and lifted my open palm up at her as a gesture to stop. "_PLEASE STOP WITH THAT!_"

Akua stopped, looking quite confused for a moment, just two buttons moved as I sighed loudly. "T-There is no need to do that…" She unbuttoned another one. "I mean it! Stop!"

Her hands moved away from her buttons and she looked incredibly… dumbfounded at my reaction. "A-Am I perhaps ugly?" The young woman stuttered nervously.

"What- No!" I replied quickly, then I sighed tiredly. "I was already thinking about taking you both in, what you were trying to do was incredibly i-indecent and-"

"But I noticed how Aono would be subjected to this kind of attention from the girls and I thought that this was the best way to get a man's acceptance to a proposal." She _seemed _rather innocent with her explanation and… I blinked.

…

…

_**Oh no, she is so clueless about the context of such action!**_

And while I tried to understand what was going on, Tsukune had his head forcefully planted on the surface of the table, trying to avoid the glances from the girls at remembering and the glare Issa was throwing at him.

The eldest daughter looked even more confused at this development while Kahlua glanced around with a smile and let out a giggle.

"This is funny." She muttered while relaxing on her chair, enjoying the chaos around her.

Few moments later, Akua managed to recover and nodded. "Still, I don't think it would be right for my new contractor to hire me without I proved to him my skills and… I wish to spar with you, Sakakibara-sama."

"...Eh?" I replied intelligently but the girl nodded again before she turned towards Ruby and asked. "Could it be possible to use a small place indoors to fight? I wish to avoid dealing with 'interruptions' from the outside."

The Witch blinked once before nodding slowly. "I-It could be done but-"

"Good." The female vampire returned to glance back at me, giving me a smile. "I hope you are as strong as you are considered, Sakakibara-sama. I don't wish to disappoint nor I wish to be disappointed neither."

There was some attempt of protest from the 'harem' but it was Issa that stood up and turned to look at his first child, eyes piercing as he glanced right on her red orbs. "Why do you wish to fight Sakakibara-san if he accepted you to the group, Akua?"

The ravenette blinked and then nodded, the ominous smile still there.

"_**He interests me."**_

* * *

**AN**

"**You promised blood, you promised skulls! Ya traitor!"**

**Why there isn't a fight in this chapter? Today I wounded up with a mind-splitting headache and some fever. **

**To make you understand how big this is, I started to write at 6AM and finished now at 2PM. 8 Hours spent trying to focus on the chapter and giving a very poor length to it.**

**I am sorry it's short and lacks a fight, tomorrow morning I will have 6k ready for you all to enjoy.**

_**But not today…**_

**Now let us move to something about the content of the chapter. Akua's personality was difficult to capture in words as I had to re-read some of the chapters she was in, read bits from the Wikia and I ended up with some ideas about her overall personality: Akua Shuzen is brutal and cruel in a fight as this is how fights work in her psyche, yet when she is out of the battlefield and with her family her whole attitude change to one akin to a supportive older sibling to her sisters. Akua was born in poverty, her childhood was cut short by the death of her first and best friend and the lack of affection and love created a very awkward individual. Someone that understands the basic of love, but is very keen to go overboard with her caring to the point of becoming an obsession, one that easily can kill people between her and her object of affection.**

**The fight will have a dual function and hopefully I will nail the deeper part of it.**

**And after this? **

**Cheers!**

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Sgolek1****: Not Saitama, would be fun but also completely crack-ish. Rias will have her redemption arc, but it will happen after Volume 3.**

**CrappyIdiots****: I've no plans to include Fate characters on the basis that Magic exists and thus much of the Nasuverse wouldn't work well with it. I've plans to include some legendary characters in the roster and Gilgamesh is among them, just not the laughing blond douche from FSN.**

**Guest (Chapter 26)****: No X-over with that fanfic, but I do plan to bring the MC from a story available only in SB, SV and QQ.**

**Jalalfof5****: It's a super-strongly neutral 'Maybe'. I dunno how far the X-Overing could go there.**


	28. Understanding and the Prelude of Madness

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 28****: Understanding and the Prelude of Madness**

* * *

The dojo-like room that was picked as the place for the planned spar was fairly large and something that reminded me of the training room back home. It was styled after a normal Karate Dojo, with tatami mattresses covering the floor and small runes erected to keep up the situation under-control.

The spar rules were simple:

1) No Magic was allowed from my part but Akua was limited in making use of her physical advantage as a Vampire;

2) No special moves like Senjutsu or the Jigen-Tou were to be used. We had to keep things to a proper pace;

3) No killing blows, only disabling and knocking the opponent out.

Simple rules that still left me in quite the uneasy situation as I was going to fight someone with a precise fighting style that stemmed from pure assassination techniques, cultivated by practice and discipline. She had more or less two decades of raw experience on the field and the girl's speed was still be an issue to deal with even with the limits imposed.

Just as Ruby took the stand on the middle section of the side, dividing the two groups of spectator for the fight, I saw her lift her hand up as she prepared to begin the spa and-

"Begin!"

Even through my brain and body felt ready, the word felt so sudden and unexpected as we both rushed to action. My eyes readjusting, fixed at Akua's stance as the vampire assumed an oddly familiar guard, but I didn't make further advances my way as I was unwilling of clashing with someone this strong without some more hints of her style.

Blinking, I finally went for a probing attack, hoping to try and see what was going on with that guard of hers and… soon I found myself forced back at the angry set of punches and quick kicks that retaliated right before I could even get close enough to her.

I dodged, ducked, deflected and then tried to counter the sudden bout of aggressiveness but the effort behind it proved to be as taxing as difficult.

Her face was calm, collected in a peaceful but tense expression, and her movements were perfectly crafted within her active position, highlighted by her shocking edge in putting me already on a defensive mindset.

Yet young woman's eyes were unfocused as this happened, seemingly distracted in the fight and looking as if... thinking of something about the situation.

I found out about her reason to appear so absent-like the harsh way. Or 'via hard kick in the ribs'.

I grunted at the pain and I realized fairly quickly that her defense was looking to be way too strong and problematic to deal in a normal situation.

Two minutes of mere attention at not getting hit passed, my patience was thinning quite quickly as I felt like there was a clue about what was going on and yet I was missing it so dumbly. And while I was the one recovering from some damage, the fierce engagement was a stalemate as her attacking force sacrificed to grant to her body a nigh-unbreakable guard.

With my brain too attentive to the 'present' rather than analyzing what was the real problem in this early stage of the brawl, I knew from past experience with the spars with Azazel and Baraqiel that hesitation wasn't acceptable, and so I decided to get some distance between us, away from what felt like an ugly attrition war.

The moment I took two steps backward, the dark-haired former assassin seemed to spring into action and adopt a more-aggressive pacing, as if predicting what I was planning all along. Her arms and legs tensed as she rushed quickly forcing me to deal with a renewed flurry of punches and kicks, this time I did felt some noticeable damage.

Groaning inwardly, I felt my attention shattered while I continued to think how I was supposed to deal against her, and for a moment I thought I was going to lose this fight quite quickly because of the flexible and punitive style of my opponent.

It was in the middle of the painful reckoning of possible defeat that I was reminded that there was another 'individual' within my head that wasn't affected by the pressure and nervousness.

_**She is using Wing Chun.**_

_So… you mean to tell me that-_

_**You could have asked that, yes. You just weren't thinking straight. That's fighting nervousness is.**_

My eyes widened in realization, the Chinese martial arts style was one of the few I could recognize, especially since it was portrayed and showed multiple times in the films depicting Yip Man's life.

The renowned fighting style that the master of Bruce Lee was known for his expert grasp, was something of an annoyance to face as it relied on the capacity of the user to counter-attack quickly and sternly.

It was mostly defensive, but some users were also known for developing an aggressive 'baiting' to get the first attacks on them going. It looked like Akua had learned from this little group, her insane speed and reaction time giving me quite the trouble but now I knew what I was supposed to do.

While the Wing Chun was a fearsome technique, it had some glaring weaknesses and opening that I knew how to exploit and the only price was… getting hit once or twice while going in an offensive.

So I did rush forward, ready to bask in some aching retribution as I let one of the kick slam in one of my elbows but I finallymanaged to swiftly land a punch on her face.

The surprise painted in Akua's face was inspiring and, combined with the little hesitation at the sudden breach in her previously strong defense, I was already capitalizing over her shock by getting another punch through one of the exposed openings, this one reaching her left-side and bruising some of her ribs, before throwing a kick onto her stomach, causing her lungs to forcefully expel the air held within them.

She finally snapped back to reality from the momentary confusion, pushing herself away from my reach and recoiling from the punishment of being this careless with her pacing. The young woman blinked and nodded.

"I suppose you noticed." She stated quietly, a little grimace plastered in her face at the fact her initial attempt had failed.

That wasn't her best performance, I was sure of that. The wasn't using her best fighting style because this had been her attempt to study me.

I should have realized sooner that she wasn't truly fighting at her peak performance, but playing around against me for a while, using a fighting style she was less experienced with while also gauging my capacity to 'escape' her initial probing.

That was her initial probing, a warm-up to what was going to happen relatively soon now.

"That you were holding back?" I guessed loudly for the spectators to hear and she nodded.

"The info I've on you says that you are particularly keen in the use of magic, but there is very little about your prowess in close-fighting." She replied with blunt honesty. "For someone that surfaced only recently in the 'underworld', your speed and strength are… admirable."

I bowed a little. "Kind words-"

"_Honest_ words." Akua interjected almost petulantly, her lips twitching with mild-annoyance. "I don't praise people that aren't worth of such judgment." She conluded with a sigh.

"I understand." I nodded her way as I took my stance, ready to resume the spar. "And I genuinely apologized for having accused you, Shuzen-san."

An accepting nod, then she rushed forward and I was proved right by the fact her pacing increased.

I mustered my defense up, forcefully denying the precise hits coming mostly from Akua's hands.

Sighing and noticing that I was starting to get winded, I knew it was now time to brave the real aspect of this difficult spar and see how far I've gone with my training. Diodora had been but a mere proof that I was on a high-level, but this battle was going to give me a proper study of the results yielded by Baraqiel's regiment.

I began returning hit with hit, the female vampire quite flexible in dodging the incoming strikes while also keeping up with the several attacks thrown at me.

My arms and legs were starting to burn a little at the fatigue accumulated after almost ten minutes spent against the former Assassin. I was starting to suffer through this spar and I knew that _she was aware of that too_.

This woman… to get me this winded after just some minutes in this spar-

I ducked to avoid a quick punch and I rushed to slam my knee up on her chest, forcing her to take some steps back before returning to the close exchange. Leg meets leg, fist meets fist, the danse macabre was starting to rear its ugly rear as I knew that I was once more on the losing side of this encounter.

She was just too durable because of her Vampiric body, which couldn't be limited by normal rules and I could genuinely feel my body starting to demand some quick reprieve just to recover from the stress I was gaining the more I continued the engagement.

"You are slowing down." Akua commented calmly, almost teasingly in a dry manner. "Is this your limit?" She asked quietly, yet I could feel a different edge to it.

I knew it wasn't some mocking coming from her mouth, but my mind was far too much in the fight to be taking under consideration the fact she was just being polite. The small pride I had over my strength starting to boil angrily in my head as it craved some retribution of sort.

I was tired and anger was only a consequence of being this inadequate of fighting on this tier.

Burning within my soul, achingly so, I felt the strains once pulling my body down disappear as a sudden chilling sensation started to spread through my entire body. I blinked just once, I was back at attacking the young woman and displaying the same if not a better presentation of my form in my attack and defense.

The vampire raised a surprised brow as she found her arms swatted away quite suddenly, one punch slamming harshly on her stomach, the strength behind it forcing her to crash down on the floor, eyes looking up wide and in perplexity.

Surprise turned in to confusion as she swiftly stood up and returned to her stance, eyes narrowing on me.

"And now your speed is higher than before." The Shuzen remarked with genuine interest. "You are still holding back." She condemned with a frown.

I didn't reply, my attention completely taken by her next actions but… she didn't move just yet.

"I must admit that you are fairly strong for a human." Her voice leaked some of her surprise. "But I do find it quite interesting that I can't truly see what drove you to gain this much power."

I blinked. "What?"

"Humans are greedy people," She replied coldly. "They always seek to obtain something, to steal from others. Yours, what was your desire?"

Admittedly, her claim wasn't wrong, but it was still an overshot. Her childhood was proving to have influenced her more than any other memory in her lifetime.

I tilted my head to the side. "You are quite racist." My comeback was unexpected, especially by how she looked at hearing it.

She blinked, quite shocked by my statement. "Racist?" The young woman parroted back, only for me to shrug.

"I don't think your thought over humanity is as legitimate and objective as you make it." I continued without hesitation. "There are people that do important stuff without seeking anything selfish onto them."

"Humanity is cursed by being led by selfish desires." Akua retorted sternly, her slits flaring a darker red. "And I bet you are the same as them-"

"Don't you dare paint me in such light!" I returned furiously, my face turning red in anger. "I know that you were hurt by morons, but to even think I would be one of the bastards that hurt her-"

I stopped, my mouth closing rapidly as her eyes widened at the reference I almost relayed.

Her stance softened just a brief moment, before her eyes narrowed on me and she rushed once more against me.

"You don't know anything!" She almost yelled for the first time breaking her composure as her fist partly unfolded and her hands started to glow a familiar light-blue.

She was using the Jigen-Tou, her eyes sending a new pure sense of hatred directed at me.

I ducked, dodging the first hit and suddenly turning in my Senjutsu mode. Her keen vampiric senses were quick to perceive the immediate shift in power and the young woman proceeded to adopt a more cautious but aggressive attack pattern, but still refused to back away from that encounter.

I was unaware of what the group witnessing this was doing, especially now that the rules were off so suddenly and without notice, but I was once more rushing at her with the same passion.

"I know that you fault yourself over that." I returned with some strength, my punch hitting her chin with a uppercut. "That you could have saved her and-"

I turned away from another strike of Jigen-Tou, a small cut forming on my cheek as my reaction time was almost near as hers at full power, but not quick enough to dodge her attack perfectly.

"She could have lived happily," Akua interjected harshly. "She could have survived against those foul people living in that village." A snarl present in her face, I knew I had pressed her berserk button, but I was completely caught unaware by the destructive power it was giving her.

I landed two powerful punches on her torso, but she seemed to shrug them off as she went to take a swing at my chest with her 'Dimensional Cutter'. The only victim was my shirt as it now sported a large opening because of the devastating attack.

"She trusted them and they betrayed her trust. They killed her and-"

"You could have stopped her. Yet you didn't." I sternly interrupted, kicking her leg away and slamming a furious kick on her ribs.

She jumped away and paused at my quick interruption. "I tried to-" Her explanation was cut down by a grunt from me.

"But you still decided to let her go and try nonetheless." I pressed on, unwilling to let the fight continue at this pace. "Because you believed that there was hope too!" I was starting to feel too much strained, her swift and precise hits having dealt some damage to my muscles.

"She was begging me to let her go!" Akua rebuked, her breathing growing erratic. "She wanted to make friends with the humans, to break away from that loneliness and-"

"You didn't want to break her heart." I finished for the woman. "You didn't want to deny her and your own hopes of finding more happiness in the future." I almost whispered to the wide-eyed vampire. "You didn't want to lose that purity that she had and that you found so endearing and awe-striking."

There was no response, her stance lessened as there was a minor pause.

"I can't say that you are the best person possible, Akua Shuzen, I know you did some terrible things because you thought them part of the right way." I sighed tiredly and softened my guard myself. "But I know for a fact that you are still a good person deep down, one that never gave up to try and get some peace from this."

"Y-You are wrong-" She tried to rebuke, stopping as if expecting me to interrupt once again and… I didn't.

I didn't need to. The girl knew it too that her stance over humanity had already been broken years ago.

It wasn't me, it wasn't Akashiya- no, it was Moka.

Like Dante with Beatrice, Akua found clarity and confirmation that a way of peace existed… she just didn't feel worthy enough to walk with her sisters.

And now that her resilience was crippled by the truth itself, I decided it was time to throw my own penny in.

Before coming to the Gakuen, I did make some research for eventually-important info to have over some of the people and… I found the dark-haired vampire's dossier.

Many crimes, many deaths but also… some unknown situations that were never explained. Or at least, to those that didn't know what was going on with her morality.

"I checked on your career," She tensed up at the sudden shift of topic, but I was still continued before she could protest. "And most of your missions were about taking down known-criminals, hardly going for those who had done anything terrible." I paused a moment, her newfound tension starting to simmer down at my words. "You also smuggled kidnapped children if there were any while on your missions." I reminded her, her eyes half-closing at that much info about her being given out to the public but she sighed.

"I seek death through battle, I seek an end to my pain." She admitted harshly, eyes hardening but her target… not me. "I am not a good person." Her conclusion was as saddening as legitimate.

But I didn't believe in any of that crap.

I blinked. "Nope, that just makes you a good person that is also a moron."

People do horrible things, everyone is a sinner for their own reason… but for someone like Akua? I could honestly say that I could see why she was this much deep in the darkest bits of society, finding solace in decadence and hoping for a quick end.

The mind of someone that didn't care anymore and that couldn't do.

_I can't just accept it._

"B-Beg your pardon?" Her tone was frail and I continued.

"Being a good person doesn't exactly mean being happy, Akua. Your happiness is partial, your joy is dependent to the ones of those part of your family and… I think you shouldn't give up to that. At least, not yet."

Her eyes darted momentarily at the spectators and I saw her look at Moka specifically. Everyone looked quite nervous at what had just happened, even Kunou looked ready to jump in the arena, but they were all avoiding to interrupt this.

Akua's eyes closed, her breathing turning calm as peaceful time passed.

"T-Then what should I do?" She asked, failing to grasp at my attempt and thus… I went all in.

"You are Akua Shuzen," I said with a small smile. "The newest member of the Omega Initiative, a woman in seek of redemption and a dummy for trying to just giving up so easily." I stated with the most serious of tones. "You passed the spar and hopefully I will have a loyal ally from now on?"

I stretched my hand towards her, waiting for the girl to either accept the offer or not.

The vampire blinked, red eyes darting to the stretched open palm and then back at me, her lips twitching as she took a step, then two. Finally, she ended up right in front of me, my eyes widening in surprise at the sudden closeness and then she moved forward… her lips landing on my neck.

I felt teeth.

_**Capu-chu~!**_

In that exact moment, several things happened all at once.

Moka and Tsukune both blushed madly while receiving the annoyed and accusing stares from the rest of the harem. Kuroka's jaws hit the floor at that sudden intimate action, her mind starting to formulate how to not lose to this possible new rival.

Meanwhile Kunou's and Koneko's faces were now shadowed while an aura of unholy fury coated them in outrage at this blatant claim of possession this woman was marking on their mutual older sibling.

_SHE IS BITING MY NECK!_

_**Fuck, this is sure going to become a running gag!**_

She pulled back quite quickly, her tongue licking off some of the blood remaining in her lips, a smile present in her face. "You got a highly-nutrient blood, _friend_."

_T-That was painful and- Friend?!_

"Uh… Akua-san?" She hummed at her name being called as I went for the question. "C-Can I ask you what do you know about biting people and sucking their blood."

The dark-haired girl blinked confused.

"It's what new friends do, Hoitsu-san." She replied. "Or at least that was what I could garner from the way Moka-chan bites her best friend, Aono, so much."

_...Oh no, this is not happening._

"T-That is not what it actually means- Uh?"

But before I could explain, I felt a large amount of Killing Intent washing over me as two pale hands grasped painfully at my shoulders, I glanced back and my eyes widened in dread at seeing Issa, the man giving me a terrible wide-eyed glare.

"_So you are saying that now you want to be __**more**__ than friends with my daughter._"

_**He is seriously trying to fake some misunderstanding there! It's just like in the After-Story!**_

Just as I hoped that the escalation could be defused somehow with some proper verbal intervention, someone decided to join in with the madness still growing in that particular spot of the school.

"Papa! Can I become Hoitsu-san's friend too?" Kahlua butted in, the tanned vampire giggling, her eyes locking onto the untouched side of my neck and causing me to shiver at the hungry glance she was giving me. "Do I have to bite him or-"

"He will accept you without requesting such thing." The patriarch of the family interrupted quickly, squeezing harder as to emphasize his point. "_Am I right, young man?_"

"I-Indeed!" I replied quickly, the blonde girl pouting at my quick answer but then nodded once more.

"Then, I want to do something about it." She hummed and then, without asking for permission nor giving any notice, she swiftly went for a hug. "There! It's just like with Momo-chan and Kokoa-tan and- Oh my, it's super nice!"

The naive insane girl pressed herself more onto me, urging her parent to further squeeze my poor shoulders in return.

_I'm going to die. I'm going to die and then get killed._

_**Shirou Emiya would be proud of you…**_

_SHUT UP!_

At least I wasn't getting any issue from Akua, the dark-haired vampire deciding to not join in, but to stare at the situation from afar while smiling a little at the happiness exuding from Kahlua.

_**Today sure is a memorable day.**_

* * *

_Several hours later, Tokyo._

If there is something that irritated him the most about his morning routine, it was the late hour he was forced to abide to when going to visit his girlfriend.

Glancing in front of him while keeping a relaxed pace and posture, Baki Hanma yawned as he went calmly through the last tasks of his usual everyday.

It's been almost a full year since he had fought equally against his father, Yujiro Hanma deciding to go for a world-wide trip that had yet to conclude after said match. It was an odd reaction from the Ogre, but the 'Strongest Man' didn't care a single bit about the suddenness and the peace he was left to deal with at Yujiro's departure.

He was given the chance of enjoying his life without having to deal with his revenge, to nurture the relationship he had with Kozue and possibly settle down, away from the dangerous life he had lived until now.

Another yawn, his lazy stare followed up to the cloudless sky. The stars were glowing just a little, proving their existence as the moon was the main lead of the delightful sight he would receive while walking to Kozue's home.

He was about to yawn for a third time when he felt something. Pausing instantly, the boy glanced around and soon he felt footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

Rushing around, he barely dodged the strange tentacle-like tendril trying to back-stab him, the sharp object cutting part of his shirt's side. His eyes narrowed as he found himself staring at two red-cloaked individuals with familiar masks.

Ghouls had lived in Tokyo for a long time now, but to see them wandering in the Chūō ward? It would seem like someone was either ballsy or suicidal.

"Son of Yujiro Hanma, your death shall be granted by Aogiri Tree and-!"

But before he could finish, the brunet was already charging forward. The second Ghoul had his Ukaku unfolding, pellets made by RC cells trying to intercept the swift brawler, but the boy was already upon them by the time he tried to take aim.

The first punch crushed the Ukaku's mask, shattering his nose too while the untouched one tried to help out his comrade. Baki, wasn't unfamiliar with Ghouls, but after facing some logic-defying individuals in the last few years, he felt particularly confident of his skills to deal with monsters of this caliber.

With a calm smirk, he proceeded to lift with two fingers the approaching punch and kick mightily the attacking Ghoul's chest. His leg slammed angrily on the ribs of the flesh-eating figure, blood spurting out of the being's mouth as he fell lifeless on the ground.

The Hanma's attention shifted back to the still-recoiling Ukaku and the boy sighed. "Look, I'm going to let you go if you tell me who really sent you and why." Quick and curt, the Ghoul actually paused with some minor interest, but then something like a broken chuckle leaving through the holes of his mask at that ultimatum.

"I-If you think th-that we will be t-terrified by- GAH!" Another punch impacted on the Ghoul's face, the hit being fatal as the monster fell backward, quickly to turn lifeless as his skull fractured at that second hit.

The brunet sighed at the bloody results of his self-defense, thinking if he should have now called the CCG or not to deal with those pests. Just as he was about to pick up his phone, he paused at the sounds of… wings?

Body tensing at another intruder, Baki turned around to see where this sound was coming from and… he was graced by the sight of a strange and unfamiliar man wearing normal clothes and no mask.

Standing just a little bit above him, this individual had brown hair with the frontal bit being blond. He was smiling, while glancing at the aftermath of the recent fighting.

"Seems like you did manage to fend off against your first attackers." The stranger muttered loudly, still smiling. "That proves that you truly are powerful, Hanma-san." His smile widened.

The young man blinked and took a guarded stance towards the man.

"Who are you?" He asked sternly, getting a sigh in return at first.

"Forgive me, young man, but I tend to focus more on the present sometime and…" He stretched his hand towards the human. "I'm Azazel and I wish to share some words with you in a private setting, if possible."

Baki's eyes narrowed at that request and the name, ignoring the attempt for a handshake.

Azazel? It sounded familiar, from Christianity if he had to take an educated guess, but the boy had hardly focused on religion ever since his mother's funeral and the… training.

"How can I trust you, _Azazel_-san? I can't certainly-"

There was a brief pause, the smile was still there as behind him four dead cloaked figures fell on the empty street, lances piercing their bodies.

"We share a common enemy, Hanma-san," The stranger pointed out with a more serious tone. "And I wish to offer to you a way to deal with the threat before they can try to hurt you precious ones." He

A blink, then two, the brunet considered how trustworthy the man could actually be and if he should truly lead him back to Kozue's home. Should he take the risk, maybe even try to be ready to fight him if the situation escalated?

"How do I know that you aren't with this ghouls? You could have killed your comrades-"

"First thing first, those poor bastards aren't my comrades, brat." Azazel replied annoyingly. "Also, if I wanted to cause harm to you and your family, I would have done it without making this encounter happen. My men have been guarding your girlfriend for a while now and I thought you would have appreciated to have some warnings about what is going on."

The boy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You- You got men spying on Kozue!?"

How could he? Does it mean that his girlfriend was a hostage?

Maybe it was just like it did happen against Sikorsky!

"'Guarding'." Azazel replied dryly at the outburst. "As in making sure no one attacked her while you were away doing some training." He paused, sighing tiredly and biting down a yawn. "I can't tell more until I'm sure we are safe from unneeded ears and I genuinely wants to help you with what is going on, Baki Hanma." He offered kindly.

The smile had vanished, a serious thin line now present in Azazel's face and the young man blinked at what he was hearing. An endless stream of questions riddled his mind about why Aogiri Tree, an Anti-CCG organization, was targeting him of all people and what did this man wanted to do with him.

He sighed, this situation was turning way too complicated way too quickly and… maybe he should bite the bullet. He couldn't sense maliciousness from Azazel and while he seemed to be different from any individuals he had ever met, Baki felt like he could now trust this man.

It was his guts that said so, the very instinct that helped him during his fights that confirmed such thing was actually viable.

Finally, he sighed and nodded. "You will have to tell me everything, Azazel-san. I don't wish to be kept in the dark after what has happened this evening." The human demanded

The smile was back.

"As you wish, young Hanma."

* * *

**AN**

**End of the Rosario+Vampire X-over with Akua and Kahlua joining the group and… here is the strongest man in the world. For those uncultured about 'Baki the Grappler' or only basing their knowledge off from the old anime and the one in Netflix, this happens **_**after**_** the end of Baki's manga, after he fight and… (Spoiler) against Yujiro.**

**And yes, Baki lives in Tokyo and so… Tokyo Ghoul. **_**Why the fux I put Ghouls in there too?**_

**While some will be quick to call a contrast with the RV's lore, since Vampiric Ghouls exist, I can say that the name 'Ghoul' to the TG's flesh-eaters is given by humans, while the Vampiric Ghouls are called as such by Yokai. TG's Ghouls are not part of Yokais and they don't have anything barely representing a governing body, thus… yeah they are the odds one in this part of the world.**

**Also, before anyone says that Baki is too 'weak', by the end of the Manga he is able to use a posture that grants him exceptional strength that helps him not only push Yujiro for several meters but also a small truck behind the Ogre.**

**P.S. The Tokyo Ghoul bit will actually be an AU happening few days before Jason kidnapped Kaneki that I've long contemplated to make use of. Some characters' status will be… different than canon.**

**PROPER DATE for this story:**** Early July, 2011 AD**

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**To those asking about Dark Lords in Europe****: Yep, I'm alluding at Harry Potter, but the character I'm interested to bring in will be quite the surprise (By the way, I will use HP's chronology and thus the Battle of Hogwarts happened in 1998).**

**Vongolaseiza012****: Either next chapter or the one even after, I will address that.**

**ARSLOTHES****: For now, no pairing is decided for him. (Neutral) maybe for Harem.**

**Evyplayz121****: The Fandom is Rosario + Vampire and I advise you to read the Manga as it is complete there, the anime derailed in Season II. It will return in vanilla DxD by Volume 4, when most of the recruitment is completed.**

**NexusPrime42****: I've plans for some Mythological characters, but sadly Thor can't be there for Canon DxD issue. He is supposedly death by Ragnarok.**


	29. A Taste of Quirky Normality

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 29****: A Taste of Quirky Normality**

* * *

I was slightly impressed by the size of the building Azazel had assigned to the organization I was supposed to lead.

Bigger than I had initially thought, the place occupied five floors of one of the main skyscrapers sited in the Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo… or better known as the 1st Ward for the locals of the capital.

At the umpteenth discovery of a new series happening within this vast world, I felt that there was a high priority for me to research how many other 'big players' were around in this universe.

Without wasting unnecessary time, I had both Kahlua and Akua sign their contracts and integrate their respective PEs during our ride back to the 'real dimension' as I had planned to directly reach for the newest headquarters sited in the major Japanese city.

I was still sore from the spar with the Black Deva and I realized as we were returning to the real world with both vampires coming with us that there was a curious effect about 'going through dimensions'.

Nuranai had been quick to explain that the reason was that there was something of a jetlag during these kind of trips and the magical senses were somewhat drained during those predicaments.

Annoying but also understandable as the 'dimensional gap' between the 'Human' world and the pocket dimension were the Yokai Gakuen was sited could easily be conditioned by the same rules of the 'birthplace' of Ophis.

The Bus Driver had been kind enough to leave us by one of the least busy entry points of the Japanese Capital as the voyage from Kuoh Town to Tokyo would have taken… way too much. He did also warn us some caution to not wander the city at night in specific, less-developed Wards as the Ghoul's threat was a serious phenomenon even after years of 'purges'.

While the CCG seemed to be doing a good job in quarantining the worst cases away from civilians' everyday lives, there were still some attacks from the recently-active Aogiri Tree with large compounds within the former Edo being raided and turned in atrocious slaughterhouse by the terrorist group.

But it wasn't the talks about Ghouls that dominated my mind in that part of the day as once we reached the large complex of apartments where we were supposed to live for an indefinite amount of time, I found myself staring at two unexpected individuals standing by the front door.

The shortest of the two was a young girl which height was around 160cm, dark-brown hair combed in a simple ponytail. The lady was wearing what looked to be some casual clothes as she donned a simple, orange-and-yellow striped, half-sleeved shirt with dark-blue jeans that ended in a common pair of sport shoes. The normal-looking girl had a surprised look as she noticed so many people walking towards them and she kept a close distance to her… boyfriend.

It took me just glance at the taller companion to discern that the teen was Kozue Matsumoto, because the relatively tall young man, standing 171cm bulky, by her side was far too easy to recognize as he was the protagonist of another series I had watched quite frequently before being whisked away in this universe.

With unruly, brown hair, a pristine half-sleeved white shirt and some simple dark trousers, Baki Hanma, the 'Strongest Man' of the world, was waiting right by the entrance of our new home.

I blinked, contemplating if I should avoid going for the confrontation right now as this could as well be a trap but-

_**He could have been sent by Azazel. I would expect him to mess around just to help us out, just like he did with Akua and Kahlua.**_

_So soon? I wouldn't expect him to-_

'**His posture seems rather pacific, he isn't part of an ambush.**'

_**You heard the big guy, go for some greeting already.**_

Even in front of so many hints that this wasn't going to end up in a battle, I sighed as I decided to carefully advance, my posture a little tense and guarded, the others taking a step back and letting me take the lead as I went for the encounter.

Only Kunou walked close enough to where I was, but she still preferred to hide behind my frame as she studied the two strangers.

Kuroka approached Koneko, both Nekoshou keeping their cat-ears and tails hidden since we were in the presence of humans.

Finally, Akua kept a fixed look upon the stronger of the two 'strangers', her composure also tense but not daring to even appear challenging as she seemed more ready to defend her sister than attack the threat heads on.

We were all terribly displaying signs of being defensive to one another but we still managed to keep a united and collected appearance in front of the situation.

Kozue blinked and seemed a little tense herself at the group, but a comforting squeeze at her shoulders by Baki's kind and softened hands seemed to remind her that no harm was going to happen to her with him around to keep her protected.

The girl seemed to ease up at the lovely touch but her eyes didn't dare to leave the formation.

"Baki-san." I decided to omit his surname as I didn't wish to give him too much formality. While he wasn't as blunt as his much-hated father, the young man was still terribly annoyed by unneeded shows of politeness.

A simple man with a terrible, natural strength.

The 'boy' blinked, his laid-back personality capable of reducing his reaction to a slightly-infuriating minimum as he seemed to barely react to the greeting, yet there was an understanding glint in his eyes.

The Hanma nodded placidly. "I suppose you are Hoitsu Sakakibara," The brunet commented calmly, his tone soothing but also quite lazy to hear. "You are the leader of this 'Omega Initiative' Azazel-san spoke about." He concluded with a nod.

"That's correct." I replied, my mind heating up at the idea that Azazel had to bring someone like 'Baki the Grappler' into the group I had.

Not that I had some trouble with the powerful human, but I was terribly aware of Yujiro's ever-thirsty need of bathing his hands in blood. The red-haired ogre was a monster I wasn't truly wishing to meet anytime soon.

Yet I was confused by the fact that looked… taller than the last reported by the 'Baki-Dou II' Manga.

_**Because this is the 'Baki' of the After-story. The one that after defeating Nomi no Sukune II, Musashi Miyamoto and Pickle, the one that had a 'draw' against Yujiro Hanma and… the one that found his way in life away from pure violence. **_

Not only he seemed to be taller than the end of the known series, but he seemed to be… stronger too.

_He never stopped to train-_

_**Possibly under threat. I could see Yujiro promising him that he would come and kill Kozue if he even slacked off for a moment.**_

"I… can only assume that Azazel wants to get you recruited to the 'Omega Initiative'." I continued quietly and I saw him nod while… Kozue sighed tiredly.

"It's to early to decide that." The girl replied calmly, just a sprinkle of uncertainty showing in her voice as she squeezed the boy's big arm to emphasize her point, drawing a surprised but embarrassed look at being this quick-minded about this decision. "I think it's best to known what kind of contract or duty a member of this… initiative has while working there." She finished with a small smile.

The reason why she was here is… because she didn't want his boyfriend hurled at another dangerous set of events that would see him hurt or worse. I knew about her propensity to act more as a smart and moral-driven decision-picker for Baki… but to see her sport that so confidently truly showed that the teen had grown up from her hesitant self.

"I understand." I admitted with a nod, turning my attention at the door they were both giving their backs at. "We can discuss this in private inside the apartment, I don't with to drag attention on us." My offer was regarded with a little bit of surprise but they didn't seem uneasy at seeing me walk towards it.

They both nodded as I finally took the key the leader of Grigori left in one of the boxes back home and went for the lock. With a simple click, the mechanism unlocked and the door opened.

Soon we were all graced with a small lounge that was connected to the first room of the headquarters, a large living room that had a grand view over the city thanks to a several windows making up most of a wall.

It wasn't as big as the one in the Gregory mansion, yet the difference of size was compensated with the presence of several modern devices, ranging from several HD TVs to various consoles and Custom-built PCs, all set all over the place.

From that room, one could see the large kitchen and the corridor leading to the stairs, possibly to the dorms and the rooms for the members of my group.

Everyone was surprised at the sight, but I was inclined to believe that Akua was the least intrigued as she hardly ever cared for how big or modern her housing situation was in the past.

_**But let us be honest and say that this is a big improvement and… man, I would kill to get my hands on some good ol' Hearts of Iron IV-**_

_It's 2011._

_**Oh, right… Darkest Hour it is!**_

I blinked as everyone pretty much moved on their own to properly get a look over the place and even our guests were impressed by it.

Baki's eyes were wide open, the boy knowing full well the expensive costs of most of the equipment on sight after having lived a rich childhood while his mother was still alive. Kozue seemed floored and awed by the impressive place too, her eyes were almost glowing at the absurd amount of costly objects all around.

"T-This is the headquarters?" The Hanma's girlfriend asked with a wonder-like tone and I nodded slowly, my mind still basking at how this entire place was surprisingly better than the already-high standard I had back in Kuoh Town.

'**But is it a reason to be truly awed? Grigori is supposed to have a large foothold in the 'human world' and I wouldn't expect anything less from this.**'

_**Not everyone can live to this level of luxury and… yep, this is huge.**_

_Immense._

"This is the headquarters and-" I blinked, realizing that my brain had to reboot at the unexpected gift from Azazel. This was… insane, but I had business to deal with! "W-We should return to our talk, yes?" I pressed on and I was quickly walking away from that… _incredible place of fun._

_**Let me out, so I can destroy you at some videogame.**_

_You want me, bro?_

'**While I don't understand what you both are talking about, I feel like I should seriously facepalm at your behavior.**'

The two humans blinked at my question, the girl blushing but nodding decisively as we too a seat by one of the small sections of the living room with two comfy couches standing right in front of each other and with a glass table in the middle.

The others were given the freedom to explore their new home as I began addressing this situation.

I took the proper documentation out of my backpack and passed it to them, giving them the time to read and inquire about some of the points written on the paper.

Kozue was quick to ask, her eyes narrowed on specific terms within the text.

"You… you are joking, right?" Her index tapped at the line that caught her attention as the girl questioned about 'that' point.

"'Angels and Devils'? There is no way that this crazy paranormal beings exist-"

"I can assure you that Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels and other supernatural beings all exist in this world." I interjected calmly. It was strange to hear this kind of skepticism, especially with Ghouls being a known condition within Tokyo and other major cities in Japan. "In fact, I will point out that I'm the only human within the Omega Foundation as of now." I dropped the revelation and the two looked incredibly shaken by the news.

There was silence, both thinking about this shocking development and possibly being still skeptical about it, but then Baki nodded slowly much to Kozue's surprise. "So that is why I felt like some of them _looked_ odd." He admitted curtly, causing me to frown.

"Odd?" I bluntly parroted, quite surprised that… he could have felt something different about them.

_**There are martial artists that can pinpoint some hints from mere behavioral actions. I bet that this is the case.**_

"Something in their posture, their inner fighting spirits were different than anything I've seen in the past few years." The Hanma explained with a little more emotion, yet his eyes still fixed on the paper. "Speaking of different, might I ask what this 'PE' is?" He changed topic quickly, frowning at the detail itself. "It says that enchant the members of the group, but what exactly is it? Some drug or-" He was tense at the idea of making use of that kind of stuff, mostly because his half-brother almost died by making use of drugs to keep up with their father's strength.

_**Maybe we should really add some more lines about this as, it could be easily mistaken as such.**_

_Azazel just isn't that good in making proper reports-_

_**Either he didn't give it that much attention or he just wanted to have us deal with this kind of situations.**_

"It's not a drug and it's not anything with dangerous withdrawals." I replied calmly and carefully, thinking properly how to defuse this little predicament. "It can be removed as easily as it can be integrated and it's not mandatory… but it's heavily advised." I concluded with a sigh.

The human girl nodded with a slower nod from her boyfriend, she then proceeded to point at another section of the paper.

"This here says that you are going to deal with anything remotely connected to this 'Khaos Brigade' and it says there that… there are numerous descendants of famous heroes?" There was some little surprise in her tone.

At those words the young man looked also surprised and… incredibly interested. "Could there be Japanese heroes too? Maybe Chinese also?" He asked with a little more intensity in his tone, making me frown just for a moment.

I nodded. "From my understanding it's a mix of European and Asian people born within important heroes' bloodlines." I paused just for a moment before asking. "Are you hoping to find the spirit of Miyamoto Musashi among the group, or maybe his descendant?"

He looked partially surprised at that, but he decided to merely shrug at my question.

"Perhaps, but I doubt he would accept to fight for ill intentions. He wanted to fight just for the sake of it and… from my understanding this Brigade doesn't care for fairness and honor." There was a brief pause and then he continued. "But yes, I do wonder if he truly has a descendant to prove my worth against."

_**And Musashi wouldn't digest such disrespect of a fight's conduct. Maybe his descendant, if there is one, could have refused just for this very reason.**_

"Indeed." I nodded my agreement at his reasoning. "Are there any other questions you wish to have some clarity about?"

"Only one about the mandatory term." Kozue said, some confusion plastered in her face. "I don't understand why it's one year and not less."

"It's still unsure how long this Initiative will last, especially with how many people we will have to deal against," I hummed as I glanced at the specific lines on the paper. "Anyone leaving too early could easily disrupt any future operations if not also bring the full attention of our enemies on themselves and their families."

"I thought that Grigori would keep Kozue-chan and her mother safe." Baki spoke quickly, his tone a little tense.

"There are some strong elements within the Khaos Brigade that can't be fought with mere guards" I pointed out much to his chagrin, "They would easily bypass any defense we could set up to protect them."

He looked dismayed, but I still continued to talk. "That's why we need to deal with those enemies quickly and without hesitation." I pressed on with a calm tone. "The faster we deal with them, the quicker we will be able to end this threat before it can hurt our precious people."

I stood up from my chair and sighed. "Baki-san, I wish that you understand that among the members of the group there are people I care a lot for but there are also people that I've left home that are unprepared for the monster hailing in the group." I blinked, eyelids getting a little heavy. Maybe I should catch some rest after being done with this…

"That is why the organization is a must for me and for others joining us and that is why Azazel wanted you to join us." I concluded with a sigh.

There was something sparking from the young man's eyes, some… sympathy and understanding at my words.

"That sounds about right." He stated quietly, then he turned to his girlfriend, flashing a bright smile. "Would I be able to spend time with Kozue-chan, even within the headquarters?" He asked quietly.

The girl blushed at the smile on the boy's face and I gave a slow nod. "You would be able to do such thing only if she is escorted by either you or someone within the Initiative." I gave the only requirements for such situation. "With you joining our group, you will have to accept the fact you will have a target painted on your back and that they will still try to hurt those precious to you."

He bowed his head. "I understand, Hoitsu-san. Thank you for the offer and..." His big hand stretched open at me for a shake. "I will accept."

The brunette huffed a little, disappointed that her boyfriend was supposed to fight once more for his life but… at least he wasn't going to be alone.

We shook hands and… his hold was stronger than I had thought it to be.

_**He isn't holding back…**_

_Yep, I think my hand is even sorer than before..._

We shared a nod and a smile, then I escorted them by the entrance of the apartment, giving both of them my phone's number to contact me and warn me for any issues with their situation. Baki accepted the piece of paper and said that he would be ready to move in only tomorrow.

I sighed as the door closed and I turned to the strangely silent house. I had expected to at least hear some muffled squeals of happiness from Kunou at her new room but… oddly enough there was nothing.

Confused, I decided to venture towards the stairs and proceeded to check to the upper floor to see what was going on. I could already see some half-closed doors from the beginning of the corridor, my eyes narrowing as I slowly went ahead to check indirectly how things were going.

There were name tags in all of them, some blank ones that weren't assigned and some with the new members names and-

_**How exactly did Azazel get Akua and Kahlua name tags before we recruited them-**_

'**Didn't that man, Issa, say that he had already talked to Azazel? I guess that it was a sure thing for him and he decided to gamble about your acceptance.**'

_Doesn't make it any-less creepy to think that someone know how my thinking works in action and… to this precise level._

Sighing again as I felt my bones aching just a little, I paused just a moment at the sound of muffled giggles coming from one of the closed door rooms. It was Kahlua's and, knowing that her sister was inside with her too and knowing that the series they were from had a grand penchant to have people trip in perverted situations, I merely shrugged and continued for my stroll in the corridor.

I paused again, this time at the sounds of things, boxes, being moved around in… Kuroka's room. Yeah, that was another big no-no to check about and thus I went event farther right by the door that led to my own room.

I saw that the door was curiously-enough half-closed and I frowned at this situation as… there could have been only one individual capable of doing such thing.

With a small smile, I peeked inside my new, big room and noticed at first the PC, the medium-sized HD TV, several audio devices and shelves filled with different kind of music pieces and then… someone was sleeping in my bed.

Completely stopping at this last bit, I took a closer look as I walked inside just for a moment and from the covers I could easily see the familiar golden-tinted fox ears that Kunou had and… Koneko's silver-colored cat ears.

I blinked, my ears finally adapting at the soft and almost impossible to hear snoring from the two girls. I glanced at the clock by the bedside and sighed at the fact it was 4AM.

_**Shiranai. Demands. Napping!**_

It was odd how time worked in the pocket dimension Yokai Gakuen was set in, thus I guess I hardly perceived that we were there for so long. Feeling tired myself, I yawned and slowly approached the bed, gaining a proper view of the two sleeping girls.

With a nod then I proceeded to slowly and silently pick a small spot of the ground near the wall to sit down and… catch some rest there.

It's been a tiring day, alright and… I needed some rest. Yawning again, I let my back reach the wall, my head tilting a little as I felt sleep easy to conquer and… my consciousness faded.

_Unknown to Hoitsu, half an hour after he had fallen asleep, the door of his room creaked a little more open as a pair of golden eyes peeked at the inside of the room. After sparing an enraptured look at the two sleeping cuties on his bed, the yellow orbs locked onto his sleeping form on the floor and the figure decided it was time to move in and get some 'reward' for being a 'good girl'._

_With maximum carefulness in her approach, Kuroka sneaked within the quiet room and softly walked up to the sleeping young man, pausing just a moment to glance at the bed and catch the most adorable sight ever once again._

_She finally took out the camera she had found back in his new room and the young woman took a picture out of that cute scene, an ear-to-ear smile as she returned the small device back in one of the pockets of her special battle kimono._

_Her attention shifted back to the sleeping Hoitsu and she cautiously started to sit on his undefended lap and then she let her head rest on his warm chest. _

_Kuroka waited for a moment, remembering seeing something happen mid-sleep to little Kunou while she was this close and- Yep, his arms slowly wrapped around her, bringing her closer while cautiously snuggling her more on his chest._

_A purr formed in her throat and she managed to reduce its noise in an attempt to not wake him up, yet she was unable to fully contain it from leaving her lips. _

_His warmth was just… so nice. She would have preferred that this happened on a bed, after some long-deserved love-making and obviously without those pesky clothes but… surprisingly enough this worked too in her mind._

_The genuine care and love she could feel, the soft lulling of his heartbeat her ears were listening so attentively and simple setting they were in…_

_She loved this. It was a nice way to catch some sleep, away from the nightmares._

_A soft yawn left the girl's lips as sleep finally made an advance on her tired mind and soon… she surrendered for some long nap._

_Tomorrow she was surely going to be reprimanded for this… but this? This was worth the cost._

* * *

And while most of the people of Tokyo enjoyed some silence at that early hour of the morning, in a small establishment of Nerima, the 20th Ward of the city, an old man continued to silently clean some used mugs with a piece of cloth.

Those last few months had been rather unique for Kuzen Yoshimura, starting with the addition of Kaneki Ken as one of the newest waiters at Anteiku. A young man, once a human and now turned in a One-Eyed Ghoul. It sounded absurd for this situation to even occur, and yet the young teen had shown to have quite the unfortunate life.

The sudden switch of diet was a shock, the owner of the cafe knew well enough of humans were not made to eat their own flesh from personal experience, but the young man was starting to improve he noticed.

It was good that he was receiving support from most of the group here, but it was also quite tragic that his unique condition got the attention of some 'unpleasant' individuals. While Shuu Tsukiyama was polite and reserved individual that hardly caused problems within the Ward, but his obsession with the young Kaneki had led to some sourness to develop between the Tsukiyama family and the Anteiku.

The brunet's mind suffered too during this period, straining as he discovered the unfairness of some situations happening only to Ghouls.

Fight for dominance of the Feeding Grounds, the need to have masks when fighting back against attackers and… the cruel hand of the CCG.

Ryouko Fueguchi died while facing Kureo Mado, giving the chance to his daughter to escape from the ambush set up by the Doves.

The infamous Quinque Expert was known for his interest in harvesting Ghouls' Kagunes to create powerful tools to continue his job, his prowess in fights was one of the best an Investigator could offer to powerful Ghouls, but he was also known for the strange compassion he held over some cases.

Many innocent Ghouls facing him that were keen to divulge the info the man required were mostly sent to the Ghoul's prison rather than die by his hand. This very compassion was unknown to many individuals, but Kuzen knew the reasons of the man after having had the chance of offering him, his wife and their daughter the few times they visited the cafe.

Family was a good weakness to have, Mado showing this unique trait recently when he didn't show up to continue the case about the Fueguchi family, possibly ending up 'debunking' the existence of the 'Fueguchi Child' to his superiors out of mercy than anything.

Touka had been particularly hurt by this development, having stayed back home for a full week, letting in her room only her brother and father to bring food and other objects for her needs. Giving her some time to recover proved to be a good decision, the girl returning back to work by the beginning of the new week and focusing on helping the orphaned Hinami.

Kaneki was there, learning how to work while also becoming a brotherly figure to the young Fueguchi, teaching her about letters and words she was still unable to read. It was good to have someone as cultured as the boy around, but it was particularly amusing how such relationship was bringing quite the curious jealous side from one Ayato Kirishima.

Hinami and the young male ghoul had been childhood friends, but the boy was entering that stage of his life when… certain things weren't as 'cool' as before, deciding to distance himself from the young girl. With the 'puny Kaneki' hanging around his childhood friend, Ayato couldn't help in sparing himself from showing that he still genuinely cared for Hinami.

An adorable comedy that happened once or twice everyday.

Arata was also pleased by those scenes too, but sadly his thankfulness directed at the former human was easily taken over by his paternal instincts regarding the 'closeness' the boy had regarding his daughter… or the lack of any.

The two had some chemistry, Yoshimura knew it, but the two were just too young to see it blooming anytime soon. Sadly, the lone father was inexperienced about this kind of situations and thus misunderstandings about the two 'getting too close to each other' happened too within the walls of Anteiku.

Just as the old man placed the properly cleaned mug down, he paused at the sound of the door-bell ringing, eyes moving to see whom could be visiting this early in the morning and… he smiled happily.

A young woman returned the smile with one of her own, eyes half-closed because of tiredness. Her hair were combed in a short, but clean style, she was wearing a baggy shirt and simple gym pants while on her back was an interestingly big backpack with some papers ready to burst out of it.

"Good morning~!" She announced melodiously, still a little too loud at this hour, causing him to shake his head at her. She giggled at his reaction and she approached him.

"A little loud, I know but I still have to finish somethings before-" She started but stopped to look at what he was doing, eyes narrowing and arms closing close to her chest. "Kuzen Yoshimura, what did I tell you about working at unholy hours?"

"I think it was me telling you to not write so late in the night or so early in the morning, young lady." He remarked, the pout twitching as she seemed embarrassed by his words.

"S-Still, I can't let an old man like you work alone. This is why I shall join you in this endeavor-"

"Didn't you have other things to do?" The manager asked out of curiosity.

"Writing can wait. What kind of daughter would I be if I didn't help my tired and old father-"

"Perhaps a writer block?" The guess was super-effective, the girl flinching before giggling nervously… and then she sighed.

"It's not my fault that the pacing is that insane. Shiono-baka just can't ease up with the schedule."

"I can have a talk with him if you want." Kuzen offered but the girl sighed.

"Would do little as he would go on a tirade about 'this job requires extreme attention and capacity to produce new books very quickly as to not get fans to yadda yadda.'" She yawned and nodded. "That is how the situations end into."

"I guess this 'old man' can accept some help from my 'beloved and helpful' daughter." The manager chuckled as his child sighed at her 'kind offer'.

"Fine!" She huffed, starting to walk towards the Storage room. "But I want pizza for dinner!"

Hearing her father snort at that one-sided deal, Eto Yoshimura, a 23-year old Tragedy writer and a natural One-Eyed Ghoul, giggled as she went to change for her old uniform.

Today was going to be another slow day in Tokyo, so what if she just wanted to take it easy?

* * *

**AN**

**Eto will not be in the Harem. I've other plans to her that aren't pairing-related and… I do reckon that a question is now important with how I disposed certain events:**

**Who is leading Aogiri Tree then?!**

**Also two new s (Jacob Lawter and Jaune Pendragon)!**

_**I'm growing stronker, muhahahahahahaha!**_

**P.S. Considering if I should do a Live Q&A once we reach 696 Follows, which is going to happen soon at this rhythm.**

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Answering to those asking how many X-Overs****: Dunno, it depends from how well I know the franchise and how those can fit in a logical way with the ones I've already laid out.**

**Ascandas****: Hopefully I didn't disappoint in this chapter.**

**RedBurningDragon****: I didn't have the pleasure to see this show until recently. I will consider it once I've got some more knowledge about it.**

**Guest 1 (Chapter 28)****: The only ones that can take armies are Yujiro and his father Yuichiro. Atomic bombs? I don't think that is a thing proven, only that it's uncertain if one could kill Yujiro or not. While powerful, Yujiro can found some serious fight in some other humans like Vasco Strada.**


	30. Preparations and Her Bet

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 30****: Preparations and Her Bet**

* * *

After spending a full day at the headquarters to recover from the little trip for the Yokai Gakuen, I decided to spend some time to do some proper training.

Huffing with a calm breathing, I pushed away Kunou's leg as she failed to land a kick through the openings on my guard, forcing her to take some steps back to avoid further retaliation. The blonde had a serious look of focus on her face, her tails and fox ears hidden as to not hinder her movements while moving swiftly to try and finally get through my basic defense.

Just as I had thought on an early analysis, her fighting style was terribly bland, the biggest issue lying over the fact Kitsune Yokais focused mostly on Youjutsu and Magical Arts rather than close-quarter fighting, so her capacity to deal with close encounters was quite non-existing as we started to spar.

The training room that was set a floor above the dorms was ample and offered quite the opportunities to go for numerous spars at the same time. And that was the current as we were all training in that exact circumstance.

While I focused on Kunou's development in physical strength, endurance and speed, Kuroka had decided to use the opportunity to 'bond' a little more with her sister.

A peculiar kind of reason to spend the day that left the usually-calm girl rather annoyed as Koneko would have preferred to spend the least time possible with the young woman and her infuriating tricks, but I ended up pointing out to the girl that her sister did genuinely want to train her without playing any kind of unpleasantness to her.

She was still skeptical for a while about my reasoning, whining in her own collected but decisive mannerism, but she ended up accepting the offer after Kunou promised to train with her after that, leaving me to focus solely on the kitsune.

As much as I would have wanted to have Koneko to give the 'basics' to the little blonde right now, I knew how the silver-haired girl_ needed _to be trained too by someone that could really help her, especially with her Senjutsu form still raw and difficult to control on a normal occasion.

Akua refused to have Kahlua train with the others, since her sister had already enough problems in reining in her own emotions and could easily go for one of her usual frenzies.

Something that many forgets of the 'carefree' vampire was that she was quite the bipolar fighter and when her 'switch' was turned on, things would become blurry. Allies, enemies, none would matter to her 'childish murdery' phase.

The tanned girl was strong enough and didn't need to improve that, the oldest Shuzen had also motivated, it wasn't worth to have the emotionally-unstable vampire confuse her sparring partner for an enemy that needed to be killed quickly and brutally for no apparent reasons.

Good points that still needed to be considered properly as we all needed to train before Kokabiel was defeated by those in Kuoh Town.

Kahlua was strong, yes, but she was also naive and unfocused during fights just as Akua had mentioned.

Having someone that could easily go berserk during an important fight and attack her own comrades wasn't someone I wished to have around and thus further research on the matter was written down on my mental 'to-do' list.

Speaking about my 'to-do' list, I found myself mostly interested in the results my research yielded: While Japan was still filled with surprises, finding familiar names like Ranma Saotome, Kenichi Shirahama and… Harry Potter.

The supernatural side of the Internet had extra info about the 'Boy-Who-Lived', confirming that he was already married and with kids. It was interesting to know that here the ICW worked more as the European counterpart to the Mage Council rather than a completely independent organization.

Some rules were the same, but there were also some bits that differed from both groups. The pages I found hardly confirmed the major difference between European and Asian magicks, but I guess the need of making use of Wands to practice magic were one of the different topics between the two differently-based councils.

I blinked as I heard the girl yell her next attack and I dodged another quick punch. She had yet to put up enough strength to truly making me give my full attention to her attempt to hit me, something that was little by little making Kunou even more annoyed at me.

The blonde was hiding it well, but after living with her for some time now, I could recognize the little signs that hinted at a possible near outburst. Calm and cheerful she might be, the Kitsune was still young and very prone to get angry at being mocked this much.

"Stay still?" She asked/whined, her tone similar to the one a child would have while asking their parent to let them win a game against them.

And me, being the 'parent', giving her a happy smile and-

"Sorry, Ku-chan." I replied quietly, my smile matching up to her growing little pout. "But we both know that you wouldn't get stronger if I let you win without some hard-working." I added with a little teasing tone.

The girl huffed at my words and went to launch a flurry of kicks without any precise aim, all of these were deflected before I decided to take hold over her leg and pushed her away from close distance. A little 'eep' left her lips at the sudden action, but then kitsune landed moments later and she barred her teeth in challenge as she charged back at me once again, this time her bubbling anger adding further power behind her attacks.

My smile widened as her speed picked up too and soon I found myself forced to push my thoughts away to give more attention over the blonde. She was finally bringing out some of her hidden potential, I could see her testing it unconsciously as her attacks grew more complex but also more… imprecise.

The girl scowled with minor fury as one of her kicks slammed on my guard, her face contorted in a mix of silent fury and… pain?

Kunou backed away and I noticed that she was putting more weight on one of her legs rather than evenly-splitting the burden. My frown deepened as I finally noticed the issue.

I blinked calmly as I saw her legs looking redder than a few moments ago, a little swelling developing too, and I quickly dropped my stance the moment I saw her wobble a little while trying to find some balance.

She looked confused at my sudden approach, eyes going wide in surprise at being scooped up in my arms. "W-Wha-" The girl tried to ask, her mind still recovering from the intensive training session, failing spectacularly.

"You are barely standing." I interrupted with a worried tone, adjusting her a little more in my arms and proceeding to take her right in the small spot outside the area where we had left a medium-sized box containing numerous vials of Phoenix's Tears.

Right as I softly placed her on the floor to take one of the tiny bottles, I saw her staring down at her bruised legs with a dejected and disappointed look.

I didn't reply at first, my attention devolved to get the medical liquid prepared for the girl. Crouching down to offer her the bottle, she sighed and shook her head.

"I'm weak." She commented quietly much to my confusion and surprised

I blinked again. "What?" I found myself asking loudly enough to have her ears flinch at the pitch.

"I couldn't even come close to make some damage a-and you were also distracted." Kunou muttered with a sigh. "I- It felt like I was hardly making something with my efforts." She explained, her arms crossing as I sighed and took a seat near her.

"I think you did quite well for your first day of training-" I tried to remark but she let out a frustrated huff.

"But this wasn't the first day I trained in physical fighting." The girl retorted. "This isn't even the first time I noticed h-how weak I'm with close-quarters."

I tilted my head on the side, confusion plastered on my face. "You aren't that weak-" I tried to say but she interrupted me once more.

"But I can hardly put my strength on my hits." The kitsune pointed out with some annoyance. "I literally had to hurt my own legs to actually get your attention and-"

"Then you should try something different, Kunou-san." A new voice pointed out, causing our heads to turn and see… Baki entering the training room with a gym bag. He was now wearing some gym clothes as he approached us.

"Oh, Baki-san, good morning." He nodded grateful at my greeting but his attention was still turned on Kunou.

"Your fighting form is too stiff, too 'proper' and that renders you unable to use your full weight and strength to the maximum." The young Hanma continued to explain, dropping the bag and stopping right to take a seat in front of us. "You should work to find a comfortable stance before wrongfully call yourself truly weak." He pressed on the confused-looking girl.

"What kind of difference will another stance do?" She asked skeptically. "It will not change anything about my strength and-"

The young man sighed, causing the blonde to stop for a moment in confusion.

"Hoitsu-san, I suppose you know a little more about my 'particular' fighting style, correct?" The Hanma questioned and I nodded at his query.

"You are known to use stances that generally benefits a large difference of strength and weight between you and your opponent, Baki-san." I replied quickly enough, making him smile a little.

"Precisely, I make sure my opponent sees me as fairly-cocky and then capitalize on his relaxed form." He lifted a finger to gesture at me. "Hoitsu-san was distracted and you could have tried to gauge where he was going to be unable to defend himself in that situation." He hummed quietly and stared at the ceiling. "While it might seem like he had everything under control, he had some openings that he couldn't really defend if you had noticed them."

She frowned. "So… I should try and find them? But how?"

"Why, by probing his stance with some normal hits and carefully avoiding to waste your energy so quickly." He glanced my way with an interested glint in his eyes. "Hoitsu-san wasn't responding to your hits, so you can easily test out his defense while he is either distracted or giving you little attention."

Kunou nodded at the advice and stood up slowly, drinking the Phoenix's Tears and preparing and giving me another serious look. "Round two?" She asked with renewed giddiness.

I merely smiled and followed her right back to the spot we had previously used and the fight resumed with renewed energy, this time the girl hitting way harder than before and… I admit some of her punches started to sting on my arms.

All in all, a good sparring session for that morning.

_One that would give Kunou some ideas about developing her style after the very individual that looked the strongest and bravest._

* * *

_This… this is annoying._

_**Could be getting worse. At least we know who are we dealing with.**_

_But still-_

"Aogiri Tree is allying with Kokabiel?" I asked back, phone pressed on my ear as Azazel sighed on the other side.

The call began just after we finished lunch, my attention swiftly caught by the facts it was the Governor-General himself and the tone he was even now having while dropping those news.

"_Some of my contacts in Tokyo have taken notice of a sudden spike of Aogiri's presence in the Wards they live in and most of them have already evacuated before anything bad could happen to them._" There was another loud sigh, bringing some pauses along the explanation. "_This all started just four days ago when one of them spotted Valper Galilei being escorted by some grunts of Aogiri Tree towards an abandoned warehouse by the Edogawa Ward._"

"That area is considered by many Ghouls as hell on Earth, why would they escort him there?"

The Ward was the home of the infamous Ghoul detention center, Cochlea. The place where monsters like Jason were born and harbored in atrocious conditions. There were tortures happening inside the structure, but nobody cared about the instability of some of the wardens capable of those horrible crimes to a living being.

Ghouls might still be considered some 'non-human' race, but they were still close enough that one should be worried about those jailers and the insanity they displayed in their work.

"_And that is the main issue of this discovery._" Azazel admitted with an annoyed tone. "_With his indirect involvement in trying to capture the Shinso Vampires and his presence in Tokyo, I think he is trying to accomplish something… with what was left of the monster attacking the city a week ago._"

He paused a little more, I could hear someone talking to the Governor-General on the other side of the call. I used this time to think properly about this and… I was incredibly confused by what was going on.

_Alucard? This makes zero sense! I can understand trying to kidnap alive Shinso Vampires, but trying to get the remaining pieces of-_

'**Maybe the reason is different, Hoitsu. Maybe you are forgetting that this Valper is also allied to Kokabiel and… I think bringing back this abomination would give a serious edge to what the threat to this peace could cause.**'

_Resurrecting Alucard? That wouldn't be doable. His soul should have already passed through-_

_**To a place where it could be quietly taken out and returned back.**_

_W-What?_

_**Think about it. While Alucard might have been dangerous to the world, he would hardly receive extra guarding from Hell and… we both know that there are disgruntled elements in the Underworld that are already cheering for some 'Khaos'.**_

_This- No, Fuck! _

"They are planning to resurrect Alucard, sir." I blurted quickly to Azazel as I heard him shifting his attention back to the call. "That would explain why the need of capturing more than a Shinso Vampire." I concluded with a frown, waiting for the man to reply with his own thoughts.

"_A strong possibility that sadly fails before a single but important element."_ I deflated a little to these words. "_Alucard couldn't be controlled-_" There was some silence for a whilethen he continued. "_Unless… Kokabiel wants to turn Alucard in his own Familiar. There is an old Blood Ritual but- That could actually happen and- This could be the reason-_"

"Sir?" I tried to bring back the discussion but the man merely sighed.

"_Until I'm sure that Alucard's soul is guarded by men trustworthy to the Satans, your current task is to train and be ready for any strange activity, you are to not take any initiatives before I give you the green-light._" The Fallen Angel ordered with a stern tone, much to my surprise.

"S-Sir, maybe if we could intercept Valper-" I tried to propose but I was stopped by the man himself with a mere sigh.

"_It would get Kokabiel suspicious if you actively hunted down that man and you were discovered as a new group working for me."_ The Governor-General pointed out with a slightly more serious voice. "_For now, the best thing to do is quietly render any attempts of resurrecting that monster impossible and- seriously brat, you will not hunt down Valper. He is not part of the Khaos Brigade and it will be regular Grigori's matter."_ I blinked and then, he concluded with a heavy sigh. "_It's an order, brat."_

I sighed and nodded. "Fine- but I hope you will pass any news on the matter. If we can move-"

"_I will call you if the opportunity is there, but for now just get stronger… things are getting quite weird and everyone needs to be prepared for whatever storm is approaching._"

The call ended and I placed the phone on the table, staring at the tall roof and blinking.

'**You are not planning to disobey his orders, are you?**'

_Actually not. I'm just-_

_**Going around it and pursuit 'indirectly' the man with someone else's help.**_

I nodded to myself, standing up from the table and making my way back to my room to get some fresh clothes and my wallet for my little plan.

'**Oh? And you know someone who isn't affiliated to Grigori but could still help?**'

'_Know' is a strong word. I would say that… I've 'heard' of him in the 'past' and… I don't even know if he will help us with what I need him to do.__ He is rather the pacifist, but maybe with the right words-_

_**Hopefully we will not be attacked in approaching his group.**_

I sighed while opening the door to my room and… I paused at the sight I was bestowed with.

A certain dark-haired Nekoshou twitched and froze right when the door creaked, the noise telling her that someone was looking at her right now as she was nuzzling my pillow close to her face.

Head slowly turning as my eyes narrowed angrily at her, a nervous expression was plastered on her face as she finally got sight of my frame.

"H-Hoi-kun! I didn't expect you to…" Kuroka stopped herself on that sentence, her mind finally taking notice of the annoyed glint exuding from my eyes. "I-It's a beautiful day outsi-"

"Out of my room, you pervert!" I stated with a full-blush, a little angry at her stalker-like demeanor.

She jumped off the bed and pouted. "I-I'm not a pervert! I'm just a woman of culture and with peculiar tastes-"

"So a closet pervert." I stated without hesitation, making her deflate even more.

"T-That isn't true a-and-" She stopped and seemed to think about it. "I-I can prove it to you." The woman said with a confident voice and giving a challenging stare at me.

…_What?_

"What?" I repeated both in my thoughts and out-loud, causing the girl to smirk.

"Well, if you take me out today, I will show you that I'm not just a pervert." The young woman proclaimed proudly and-

"But you are still a pervert-" I pointed out once before being intercepted by her as she straddled on me.

"I-I meant, _woman of culture!_" Kuroka quickly had me to correct my 'wording'.

_**A funny and cultured pervert at that, you have to admit that she knows what buttons to press.**_

_Please, I don't need 'part of me' supporting her in that endeavor. I've already enough problems dealing with her attitude..._

"And what would be the penalty if you fail to keep a good attitude?" I asked out of curiosity and she… twitched a little.

"I would be willing to accept some spanking, my only request being that this specific case happens at night, on your bed and with the two of us without clo-"

I turned around and started to walk away, causing her to stop on herself. "O-Okay, I was just joking!" She tried to correct herself but-

I stopped and looked back with a skeptical frown.

"I will do any mean punishment you want me to suffer." The young woman crossed her arms close to her chest. "At least, I know that you will not abuse it in any way, shape or form."

I blinked and thought about this situation. I could get her to stop being this much… aggressive with her advances. I don't find her completely bad, but I found her pushy attitude rather… annoying and irking more than enough times.

"I..." My mouth closed, then I sighed and tried once more. "Get yourself ready then, we will be leaving soon."

A loud squeal of happiness left her mouth and she instantly tackled me on the ground. "Gah!"

Her face nuzzled on my chest and her cat ears tickled right on my nose, the fierce hug and the insane amount of affection at that minor victory was a testament of what would happen if I just ended up accepting her flirting and surrendered to her wishes.

Soon, she would let go of the hold to rush out of my room and leave me alone with some more than needed peace.

'**She sure is quite a hassle to deal, Hoitsu.**'

_She is. _

_**But you don't mind being glomped sometime. It's not like you are a pervert if you admit you like 'that kind' of affection.**_

_S-Shut up!_

* * *

_This wasn't a romantic date._

_This was meant to be a friendly hang-out to get Kuroka to tone down her flirting and stop being perverted around me._

This very mantra repeated endlessly in my brain as I tried to hold up to the fact the Nekoshou had yet to show anything remotely perverted towards me. No groping, no 'coping a feel', no lecherous stares from her as we quietly walked through the busy streets of the Japanese Capital.

She was seriously upholding her promise, doing it 'happily so' as she hardly seemed to be minding being close around me and without going for any lecherous action. Not even a lewd comment

Still, picking a proper place where to go for a walk proved to be particularly difficult for some reason and I ended up picking the… least bad place we could have gone to.

Tokyo had some beautiful Wards, the Ueno Park being one of the most beautiful ones with its cherry blossoms.

It was a pity that it was Summer and that the trees bloomed mostly in Spring, but the current sight was still something quite unique for someone that had hardly gone to see rare places in Japan after getting Inserted in this dimension.

The young woman had her arms wrapped around mine, but she was minding the pressure of her hold to not push too much her bust onto it, rather preferring to keep the touch to an acceptable level.

Her golden eyes were darting around from trees to the fluttering leaves falling from them, child-like wonder exuding from these and… I guess she was surprised of seeing something like that.

With her childhood and her subsequent period as part of an abusive peerage, I could only assume that the Nekoshou had never got the chance of seeing a park like this one and this was the first time she saw the beauty of this kind of natural parks.

Our attention was collectively captured as we both spotted some mobile ice cream parlors by the entrance, but decided against approaching it to buy some delightful cups at the moment as we were still digesting from the recent lunch.

This is why we decided to spend some time by venturing deeper in the park while waiting for the ice cream.

After few minutes of walking, we ended up taking a seat in one of the various empty benches on the path, the trees all around obscuring most of the sun-light and offering some shade for us to enjoy in peace.

Kuroka stretched a little and right as I took a seat beside her, she let her head tilt and rest on my shoulder. I tensed a little, waiting for her to jump at the opportunity but… nothing.

The young woman merely sighing happily as she relaxed on that brief moment of calm, her eyelids were half-closed while she enjoyed the relative silence and the cool breeze keeping the summer's heat from becoming unbearable around us.

"It's truly a good day today to spend outside." The Nekoshou commented quietly, her tone calm and not as loud as usual.

I blinked and stared up at the few clouds in the light-blue sky. "It is."

Silence resumed for a little while, then she sighed.

"Do you think that I will ever be able to get close to Shirone?" She asked with a curious tone, eyes partly directed at my face. "I feel like I'm_ really _not doing any progress with her." The dark-haired woman admitted with a perplexed tone, my eyes slowly turned to glance back at her with a tired look.

"She did accept your training offer-" I pointed out, only to be met with an annoyed glance from her.

"She accepted only because you said 'it was fine'." The dark-haired beauty remarked. "And then she proceeded to be a true pest even when I was genuinely trying to help her with meditation by ignoring the way I went with this stage of Senjutsu." She admitted with a huff, snuggling closer to my shoulder much to my… minor annoyance.

"Did you use your usual attitude or did you explain that to her with the tone you are using now?" I inquired quietly and for a moment her lips twitched, confusion painted in her face.

"Excuse me, but what?" There was confusion plastered on her face and… I sighed patiently.

"You know that when you speak overly-cheerful, especially regarding… _Shirone_, you seem like you are mocking her, right?" I asked with a serious tone, making her look… incredibly confused but thoughtful of that perception.

She blinked and then- "What?"

"Think about the situation from her perspective." I started to explain. "Until you decide to reveal the truth about your family and why you killed 'them', she will still think you went insane because of Senjutsu, you joined some shady groups and then, even though you bailed before doing anything terrible, you still were there in their ranks for a while."

"She thinks… I am making fun of her?" Her tone sported genuine surprise and then she sighed. "That I'm not helping her and-" She stopped mid-answer and groaned. "She thinks I am playing around with her, pranking her, rather than healing our relationship."

Her hands went to her face, eyes closing as she groaned in them. "I'm a moron..."

I let out a brief amused snort and she moved her palms just a little to show me the glare she was now directing at me.

"Laughing at an innocent maiden's plight? Are you perhaps a sadist, Hoi-kun?" The Nekoshou accused lightly and I hummed quietly about it.

"Maybe I enjoy seeing you without that childish mask of yours." I thought out-loud, causing her to blink in surprise. "You know, I do dislike a lot when people lie this blatantly in front of me. I can forgive white lies but..."

The young woman blinked at this and sighed with a small smile now appearing on her face. "You know, that is… somewhat admirable coming from someone, right."

"Uh?"

"While I do find the fact you are this much adamant to not do anything lewd, I find it an interesting trait to see after dealing with… quite the unpleasant bunch in the past." Her eyes stared at the muddy path, sadness painted over them and I felt a little… sad myself.

"Did they hurt you?" I asked with some concern. "Did they-" I paused as her index pressed my lips closed while the girl sighed.

"That is also another thing I do find… refreshing. To be coddled by someone that genuinely care." Kuroka smiled and then sighed. "But I do find myself sharing your idea of… hating liars."

I blinked as she moved away from my shoulder and her hands softly turned my head to stare right at her. Her golden eyes were showing a new level of compassion as she pronounced the following words.

"If you wish to bring happiness to everyone… then why do you look so sad when you are alone?" The Nekoshou inquired with small curiosity and some… worry?

My eyes widened at that question. "W-What?" I found my entire body tensing up at this sudden and unexpected development. "I-I don't know what you are talking abou-"

"One day either Shirone-chan or Kunou-chan will find out about this sadness of yours… and they will fault themselves for its existence." The young woman pointed out. "I know that you don't want people to be burdened by your own past, but bottling it up… will never work for you."

She was cutting very deep with her words and… I think she was doing all of this unconsciously. Maybe she expected a real answer for it, or maybe she was seeking some common ground for us to share in that singular moment.

But no matter the reasons behind this questioning, nothing mattered as I found myself unable to hold back the tears.

It's been just… so long since I last saw _their faces_. _Their smiles. And then I wonder if __**she **__managed to finish High School by now, I wonder if she will find a good job and get her own family without being burdened by my disappearance._

In that brief moment of weakness, I didn't notice how Kuroka slowly put my head on her lap.

A lap pillow, I mused inwardly and then she was humming while she started to softly caress my hair and… I closed my eyes slowly, the nightmares that had haunted me until now surprisingly not there to hurt me during my rest.

But as I found my way to my happy place, I felt the young woman's voice whisper quite softly.

"You know, I think… I like this idea." She said, I could even 'hear' her smile. "Will you go out with me again, if I don't hide myself anymore?"

A strong promise, a beautiful gamble but my mind and heart shared a single answer and in my sleep, it unconsciously left my lips.

"_**Yes.**_"

* * *

**AN**

**Today is truly a good Sunday, folks!**

**I've got some lasagna for lunch, maybe something even better for dinner and I actually felt like a weight had been lifted while writing this chapter.**

**Also, after having this requested for a long time now… here is the general character stat of Hoitsu:**

* * *

**Basic Info**  
**Name: Hoitsu Sakakibara**  
**Gender: Male**  
**Age: 19**  
**Race: Human (+?)**  
**Birthday: April 2nd 1992**  
**Birthplace: Kuoh Town**  
**Family: Shigeru Sakakibara (Father), Hisako Sakakibara (Mother), Kunou **_**Sakakibara**_** (Surrogate Younger Sister), Grayfia Gremory (Surrogate Older Sister)**  
**Affiliation: Grigori (Member), Omega Initiative (Leader)**

**Physical Characteristics****:**  
**Height: 174cm**  
**Weight: 62Kg**  
**Skin Tone: Pale White (Hardly tans if he doesn't go to the beach)**  
**Hair Style: Shoulder-length, Curly;**  
**Hair Color: Light-Brown (Dark-Brown while using Senjustu)**  
**Eye Color: Charcoal/Dark-Brown (Red while using Senjutsu)**  
**Muscle Built: Athletic, Above Average Human**

* * *

**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**AbyssRhytme****: The moment I read about the name issue, I went through all the chapters and fixed it all. There shouldn't be any other 'Koitsu' in the story. Up above a little character ID about MC. I like how you PLd both Yujiro and Yuichiro, I think that one would work. Ghouls are a curious case because they are capable of immense feats that the Anime doesn't show, but I think that classification would be good too, yes.**

**Blaze2121****: I will leave no corner untouched! I always love to world-build my stories, it's like writing a strategic game AAR.**

**Ascandas****: Eto will have her fun time, yepparoni!**

**Riveg****: Good to know, have a good day, fam!**

**LukeSky001****: Do I hear more X-overs? Yep, let's go for more!**

**Reptil****: The tragedy of Beta-Readers is that if they aren't honest people with their work or aren't your friends, you could hardly get any deal done with those. Plus many veterans in FF are mostly retired at this point. Still thank you for your kind words.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: I aim to shock and awe. Like a Blitzkrieg! Also yes, Aogiri Tree has a completely unexpected leader, someone from Canon and as an organization it has different Goals from Canon AT.**

**Jalalfof5****: Check out the review from AbyssRhytme, I accept how he had scaled the 'newcomers'.**


	31. Deserved Punishment

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 31****: Deserved Punishment**

* * *

"This is… frustrating."

With this quiet words, Akeno Himejima addressed the predicament she was currently facing.

Lying on her bed, sight directed at the ceiling and only her night clothes on, the young woman continued to contemplate what she should seriously do.

A full day had passed since her father had given her the proper phone number to contact Hoitsu, a full day to accept the idea that there wasn't any other excuse keeping her from calling her classmate and… a full day of procrastinating about the future.

Her first few days with her new situation at school had been dealt particular ease, Sona and her peerage being helpful and the workload wasn't as unfair as she first thought. The only issue that truly got her quite annoyed more than once was how she was supposed to deal with Yuuto, Issei and Gasper.

The former Dhampir was still as introverted and scared of people as when he was first left sealed by Rias, the feminine boy showing some surprise at seeing how 'empty' the Occult Research Club looked when he was led to the currently unused club-room and he was completely floored when the Queen told him the reasons of this whole predicament.

Surprise, fear, a little bit of anger and disappointment. The overall attitude being one of pity regarding the Gremory heiress, but also some logical acceptance of the situation and appreciation about the fact the situation hadn't escalated to a worse state.

The boy was obviously unwilling to join her with the cooperative stance with the Sitri's peerage about hunting down Strays, citing how he couldn't still control his power and how he wouldn't fare well with 'strangers'.

Something that Akeno knew well enough, his sheer panic at dealing with new people being one of the things that characterized most of Gasper's personality during the first time they had the chance to speak with each other.

Moving on to the second boy of the peerage and the only Knight, Yuuto Kiba was good in not showing how saddened and depressed he truly was about the situation happening to Rias. The redhead was like an older sister to him, having been there to take care for him and help him when he was still recovering from surviving the Holy Sword Project.

While he knew that the instance that led to Rias' forced stay at home was legitimate, the Himejima was keen about the few brief scowls appearing when Hoitsu and she knew very well that it was only a passing and momentary emotion from the blond. He would still help around with the Student Council, but his smile lost quite the brightness it once had.

Few students noticed his sudden mood-change and the rumor mill in Kuoh Academy started to offer several theories about what was going on. Some connected his sour state with Rias not being there, other even going as far to say that they were an item but those were quickly silenced by the large majority of girls crushing on the 'pretty boy', reminding how there was no proof of such relationship having happened and thus debunking the extreme theory swiftly.

But while Gasper and Yuuto were quite the problematic individuals to properly settle with the new situation, it was Issei that was the worst to deal around. Even though he had never showed open hostility towards her, the blatant attempts to rapidly conclude any chat she would try to commence would show how he was unhappy to be around her.

She had tried to approach Asia, to apologize about the situation, but _he would always be there to stop her from interacting with the former nun_.

Without any club assignment, nor mission keeping him away from the school or away from the Theater Club, the brunet spent most of his time after-school to watch the few works his newly-announced girlfriend.

The news of their engagement was proclaimed by the blonde, the girl motivating the fact she was the one confessing this revelation because of the reputation over her boyfriend's head.

Some thought that there was a context missing, some opposing to the former group going as far to say that there had been signs all over the place and nobody ever noticed, while the rest just was fine with the fact one of the Perverted Trio had found the kind of happiness that led him away from his lecherous way.

Akeno tried to intercept them while they were on their way back home but, much to her surprise, they would never walk back to the Hyoudou's residence. Visiting the boy's house, she found herself dealing with a wary and annoyed Miki Hyoudou barring her from truly entering her home.

The mother was adamant in not telling her where her son would go, saying that he was just doing some favors for a good friend of his and that it was also going to help with his adulthood.

Her strange explanation quite confusing, the Himejima returned home with a minor headache at dealing with someone far more experience in diverting a discussion to different, insignificant topics to her case.

Sleep came quickly, her mind filled to the brim with the need to rest and she was granted some of it moments after finishing dinner and going to her bed.

A new day and she had yet to truly decide how to approach both Issei and Hoitsu.

By calling Hoitsu and hopefully try to scavenge something out of the ruined relationship she had destroyed, maybe having the chance of apologize to both Asia and the young Hyoudou would become a possible thing.

But how should she approach the initial contact? Should she try to appear friendly, maybe… easy-going?

No, that would make it feel like she was just trying to exploit the situation to- Wait, was she exploiting him or-

Akeno screamed against her pillow, headbutting it and then nuzzled close to it trying to seek of comfort from it.

Speaking with someone and finding some way to redeem herself shouldn't feel this difficult and yet, because of the context relative to her behavior about the past events, she knew that forgiveness was several steps away from her reach and that only careful thinking and wording will get her to the road she wanted to commit herself into.

And thus, pushing away her dreadful nervousness, the Himejima picked her phone and called the number written down in the small piece of paper that had stayed idle for a whole day.

Pressing the last key, the phone vibrated a little, the familiar sounds of the line connecting properly giving her some minor relief. Hopefully she wasn't calling while he was busy, that would have been quite a damning situation to face with her current emotional fragility.

Then the receiver answered and…

"_Hello?_"

It was his voice. Her heart warmed up a little, her face reddening at hearing him after so much time.

"H-Hoitsu-kun?" She started, trying to not lose herself in the happy memories. "I-It's me, Akeno."

"_Oh._" His tone showed confusion, a little bit of anger and annoyance, but she was glad the two negative traits were placed in minor quantity, hopes of managing through this discussion rising a little. "_Hello, Akeno-san_."

Akeno-chan! The girl wanted to scold him at first, but she bit her own lips to stop herself from screwing her current footing, knowing that he was right in being this formal. Still, it didn't make it any less annoying and painful to digest for her. At least he didn't chided her for the intimate honorific she used to address him.

"I-I'm sorry if I'm disturbing-" The Himejima tried to appear polite, to try and look like she was genuinely trying to-

"_You are not." _He interrupted coolly. "_But I find myself waking up now from a tiring day, how may I help you?_"

There wasn't the negative attitude that Issei turned at her, there wasn't anything.

_There wasn't anything that could give her an insight of how he was feeling about it._

While his initial tone had let out some feelings about the matter, now he was trenching up, blocking any possible hint about his current mood and behavior regarding her.

It was like trying to drive a ship through the mist, unable to see where it was going and how to avoid any dangerous spots of the sea. And so Akeno knew that to avoid falling in the uncertainty that had ruled over her mind for the entire day of yesterday… she had to wing it and pray for the best.

"I wished to d-discuss about what had happened few days ago- I wish to apologize about-" Her lips rapid-fired, trying to gain as much ground as possible but…

"_A moment._" His voice interrupted once more, the order quickly complied by her mouth, closing down mid-speech and letting the boy solve whatever was going on by the other side of the call.

Silence interluded the sigh that would tell he was back as he spoke once more. "_Sorry, Kunou needed some help with putting on some gloves, what were you saying?_"

Hearing his input to continue, Akeno was ready to resume her determined speech but…

A moment passed, then two and finally her eyes widened as she realized what was going on. Gone was the momentum she had accumulated and gone was the fierce emotion driving her words out of her lips.

She froze, feeling her world graying once more before another sigh terribly reached the closest ear to the phone.

"_From my understanding you wish to apologize to me, even though it was Asia and Issei that you betrayed the most, Akeno-san-_" He seemed somewhat disappointed, almost like urging her to expose her case, to not choke on her own words any longer.

And so she did talk. "I-I tried to reach for them first- but they aren't- the reason I'm calling is because I have to apologize about- I should have told you and-"

"_Akeno, stop a moment. You are-_"

"N-No! I- I can't find peace in myself at the fact I can't apologize to you directly, how much of an idiot I've been. I tried to avoid a rightful confrontation and I- I betrayed you like this."

Tears started to stain her sheets, her chest twitching a sob or two as she let the waterfall come down for the second time after it happened in front of her father.

Moments of tense silence passed and then… a tired but moderated sigh reached her attentive ears.

"_I can't currently leave Tokyo because of some unfinished important business here, but we could spend lunch together tomorrow if you are free and able to reach the city-"_

"I-I can do that." She sniffled, her hopes lifting off once more. "But where e-exactly-"

"_I will send a message later today, right now I'm busy and I can't actually give you anything precise._"

"I-I understand."Akeno replied with a nod to herself. "T-Then, I shall s-see you soon?"

"_Hopefully. Have a good day, Akeno._"

"Bye..." The call ended and yet her eyes were fixed on the device's display a little while before she dropped back on her pillow and hugged it closely.

She did it! She managed to get a chance to ask for forgiveness and… to see him once more.

Cuddling the pillow closer, her head snuggled onto it with affection. A preparation, she explained to her mind, some 'training' for the hug she was going to give him when she will see Hoitsu after so much time.

A good hug, nothing perverted or forward, just something to see if everything was truly lost or not. A giggle left her lips at the thought of their last 'hug', how he looked so panicky when she was 'intrigued' by his dominance while he tickled her so mercilessly.

And while her logical side complained about the fact she shouldn't be this much hasty, her wild imagination cared little about the laws of the world, different dreams and visions filling her with renewed vigor and… determination!

* * *

After finishing the early morning training session and eating some delicious lunch, I found myself wandering alone out of the apartment, giving a fake and boring reason as to not cause any unneeded interest from the others to join up with my plans for today.

While having someone around to support was nice, I needed to be alone to properly contact the manager of the Anteiku, mostly because the current tension of keeping identities secret would cause some issues if someone asked the wrong questions about Ghouls.

The walk was uneventful as usual, no Ghoul would try to attack in broad daylight without a massive reason and reaching the Nerima Ward was surprisingly easy. Still, I had to deal with some words about my current situation with a certain Himejima.

_**Maybe we should have been a little more stern about Akeno.**_

_Uh? Why so? I think she got enough to face between regrets and her new situation-_

_**But she will easily mistake a predicament for another without proper explanation.**_

'**You invited her to lunch, I think that counts as a date.**'

I blinked, eyes going wide for a brief moment and I was glad that there was no one around to notice my sudden mood swing. Most of the people were either working or still studying at the various Unis of the Capital.

_She wouldn't- Actually she would. Dammit. Wait if you knew about this, why didn't you tell me before i-_

_**Guilty pleasure of pranking you a little, I mean, I wanted to see that kind of reaction but… I don't think the costs will be worth it if she ends up stalking us once more.**_

_I will make sure that she doesn't try anything of that sort. I will be blunt and precise with my wording and-_

I turned the corner that led to the small section of the street where the Anteiku faced and jumped away as a two large light-blue tendrils smashed on the floor right where I once stood.

Those were connected to two semi-identical figures wearing blue cloaks and masks to cover their faces-

"Oh, the Bin Brothers." I muttered nonchalantly, my tone causing them to look surprised for a moment before turning furious at the meek way I addressed them.

"Oh, _a dead human_." One of the two, the younger one, returned with some poison. Both retracted their Bikakus, but I quickly rushed at them, catching them off-guard once more, this time capitalizing on the situation.

The one closest to the wall was slammed on it by my fist, the mask cracking and breaking as the first victim recoiled in pain and shock.

My free hand went to grasp the unscathed Bin and forced his head to bend towards my approaching knee and-

**Crack!**

I let go of the unconscious brother and focused on the recoiling one, in my hand a Light Spear as I forced the blade deep in his chest. He gawked, blood spurting from his mask but there was no strength in his hands and soon he turned limp.

Taking back the Spear out of him I proceeded to stab the unconscious one too right in his chest. Both individuals were brutal murderers, no matter how young they looked, and they had already killed more than enough to warrant the death penalty in Japan if they were humans.

Sighing I remembered the place I had to visit and… the fact two members of Aogiri Tree were there.

I huffed, my face darkening as I knew what was going on inside the cafe, my ears having picked the noise of trashing few moments before ending the Bin Brothers.

I walked and reached for the empty window that led inside the shop and… stared at the tall blond staring over a bloody Kaneki Ken. Yakumo Oomori, or Yamori, glanced my way with a thrilled smile, by the entrance doors Nico was looking with wide eyes and then… I noticed something strange in the scene.

While Kaneki and Touka were wounded and Banjo with his small group was cowering just like in the Canon, I could see the familiar face of one Ayato Kirishima kneeling as some blood trailed down his head as he stood between the Ghoul leading the 13th Ward cadre and… Hinami Fueguchi?

_**It would seem like the situation had escalated… immensely.**_

"You smell like a human." Yamori stated amused, taking a step towards me. "But also something else."

I frowned in mock-confusion. "Are you saying that I don't shower?"

His smile twitched, minor anger building up in his features. "Quite the opposite. I think you smell pristine, well-cared, but I find myself questioning how much Human you actually are."

I gave a mock-offended look and placed one of my palms on my chest. "Did you just assume my race, you jerk?" I asked, trying to not smile at this little joking around. It's Jason and he is weaker than me! "I might be a Battle-Tank or an Attack Helicopter and you would still label me a human, tsk."

He frowned, the smile dropping a little. "Are you mocking me?"

"I mean, I generally mock people that are dumber than me. Are you trying to confess about your lack of mental capacities or-" I ducked away from the Kagune coming my way, the spiky tendrils missing me but the owner already charging to compensate for the lack of any genuine hit.

I moved through his punches and, the moment he tried to land a kick, I proceeded to slam my own leg on his knee. I felt the bone snap and his while limb bent in a wrong way.

I flinched a little, it wasn't a nice sight at all and the yell filled with a mix of anger and pain told me he was starting to realize that shit had hit the fan.

He tried to deliver slam his fists onto my head but I ducked and headbutted his chin. I felt the bones of his jaw crack, forcing me to move out of the way to avoid getting my hair stained in blood.

Jason recoiled, one hand holding his destroyed jaw together while the other trying to grasp something to keep himself standing. His Kagune dissolved with his concentration missing, I decided that enough was enough and… I didn't want him to trash the place in his Half-Kakuja form.

Thus three Light Spears stabbed deep on his chest, one of the piercing deep enough to destroy his Kakuhou and shatter any chances for the sadist to get out of here alive.

He looked at Nico and Nico looked at me. "I advise you leave the place now that you can, Nico-san. I don't wish to incur in **her** wrath, but if you end up causing any trouble I will have no choice and put you down."

Threat delivered and face paling at the seriousness in my voice, the man nodded and swiftly rushed out of the damaged Anteiku, leaving me to deal with the dying Yamori.

He looked furious, incredibly angry and very akin to a rabid animal. A dangerous monster created by an imperfect society, the lance that pierced his head terminated his life instantly and put an end to his misery.

I sighed in relief at the fact the worst was over and I turned my attention to the others.

Everyone was staring at me, either in shock or fear or both. I blinked and looked at the bleeding Kaneki, looking ready for some tactical faint and thus intervened.

Crouching slowly, I helped him a little up, his eyepatch coming loose as his Kakugan was revealed to the world while I brought up one of the tiny bottles with Phoenix's Tears.

Right as I brought it up to his lips, I saw some people looking quite alarmed at what I was doing but then the liquid did its intended effect and healed the young man.

Kaneki blinked once, then twice before finally realizing that he was feeling better and that his wounds were gone. Eyes going wide at the lack of any of the injuries previously putting him in a world of pain, he slowly was pulled up by me as he stared at his unscathed body and… shredded clothes.

I turned towards the closer of the two Kirishima siblings and Touka narrowed her eyes as I approached and crouched near her. I sighed tiredly. "Look, it worked on your buddy, don't you think that the same content will actually help you too?"

She glared at me for a little while, before then letting her guard relax a little as I helped her to careful sit without paining her hurting leg and then offered the small vial.

Drinking it quickly, her Kakugan disappeared as her body made a rapid recovery and soon she could stand up on her own too like the brunet.

Finally my attention shifted to Ayato and he looked particularly… defensive about this all. He was protecting Hinami, I could see that but I think that was… excessive?

I didn't crouch as he seemed ready to make use of his Kagune against me if I got too close. He might be in the different side this time around, but he still had that edgy personality on him, didn't he.

"Look, kid, I know you're trying to be protective of your girlfriend, but I'm not here to hurt anyone. You could take the healing stuff now or suffer home and spend some days idle to recover from this situation." His eyes narrowed dangerously but he didn't reply, preferring the silence.

There was some silence and I waited for a response, looking at my watch and noticing it has been half an hour since I last looked at the time. Just as I got myself distracted on that, the little Fueguchi turned to the Kirishima and poked his shoulder, Ayato glanced back and at her worried look and, few moments later, he sighed in defeat. "F-Fine, I will take that blasted thing."

I smiled and nodded, handing him the vial as he consumed it without hesitation and… he stood up without any wounds. "Was that so difficult, kid?"

He frowned at the mocking way I was addressing him but I was looking elsewhere. As soon as he reacted to my words, I felt a new energetic pattern approaching and I turned towards the broken space where the window that gave off to the street once was and I saw a short figure jump inside the shop.

"Stop where you are, you evildoe- Uh?"

I was staring at none other than… Eto Yoshimura.

I can understand Ayato having never joined Aogiri Tree, but to see the Canon leader of the terrorist organization being part of Anteiku?

_**This is turning out to be a massive AU case.**_

The girl frowned, eyes fixing first to the dead Jason and then she looked back where I had left the Bin Brothers, confusion plastered on her face.

"Who exactly did all of this?"

I lifted my hand and she tilted her head on the side.

"That's impressive but… aren't you a human?"

I sighed. "I already had a discussion about this. Let's just say I'm a unique human."

"A unique human?" She repeated with a skeptical tone. "Should I call BS now or are you going to say 'sike'?"

I blinked in surprise. "What if I am telling the truth?"

"I would call you a fat liar, even if you are fairly slim."

"You are the one calling something like a 'unique human' BS when you are a 'unique Ghoul' yourself."

She lifted her finger before stopping on her own thoughts. "Touché, but how did you even know that?"

"Can feel your energy pattern is different from the others, it's kind of complicated."

She shrugged. "That sounds like my life." A small smile appeared on my face.

"Sounds quite rough." I chuckled and she nodded, showing a smile on her face to match my own.

Few moments later, a familiar elder arrived, followed by a silver-haired man. Yomo blinked in surprise at the sight while the manager looked particularly calm about the scene he was looking at.

Finally his sight landed on me and he frowned.

"**I can explain.**" Eto and I stated at the same time, eyes turning to each other and then we burst in a chuckle.

For some reason the older Yoshimura shivered, muttering about 'two of them' as he entered inside while Yomo picked his phone to call someone to come and clean things up.

The following talk was surely going to be a funny one.

* * *

**AN**

**I think I forgot to say that, while Hoitsu ain't in Kuoh, he will still interact somehow with the people there. In fact, I've planned to have an alternative way to introduce Xenovia and Irina since both Issei and Asia are currently… living in Hoitsu's home.**

**It's not much of a big reveal but it will also serve as a good platform to launch their relationship even forward at the end of Volume 3.**

**Kiba has a minor grudge but… he will recover from it and get something interesting out of it.**

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**AbyssRhythme****: I don't think I will manage to put anything from Rick Riordan as I'm not very acknowledged about his books and so I will have to first ready something about them before doing anything about those. Ghouls' diet will be solved differently than you theorized, but the issue with your theory is that the reason Ghouls need RC cells is because their Kakuhou (the organ that form the Kagune and allows the formation of the Kakugan) requires such nourishment. It's not something their stomachs truly need but something they need to be healthy and have a working body.**

**NexusPrime42****: Marvel and DC are big no-no because this story's universe would be expanded way too much for me to deal well with. Also Thor is kind of dead in DxD.**


	32. Deals and Bickering

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 32****: Deals and Bickering**

* * *

Akua Shuzen was confused by the current situation.

The vampire had initially planned to spend her afternoon trying to further learn how to use the computer on her own, her limited knowledge proving to be even more problematic as the day before she was forced to ask for help in dealing with few viruses she had unconsciously let inside the PC.

The youngest of the two Nekoshou sisters, Koneko, had been quick to help and silent during her whole intervention. The minor embarrassment born from being helped by someone younger than her, which had been a surprise for the oldest Shuzen too, was somewhat lessened by the lack of comments regarding her blatant inability to make use of such common device.

It was a slow process, Akua reckoned, but she was starting to see the bountiful rewards of having such contraption in her room. She had also asked about the main purpose of the 'consoles' to the silver-haired girl, a shrug and 'amusement' were the only answers given at first but then she went on to explain curtly how those worked.

Nothing important or essential to have, but something entertaining to explore on a later date once she had the whole 'computer' thing dealt with.

Just as she finished learning how Microsoft Word fully worked, Akua heard someone knocking by her open door. Red eyes slowly moving to glance at the doorstep and she was greeted by the sight of Kuroka Toujou.

She knew little about the oldest of the two Nekoshou siblings part of the Omega Initiative, only that her younger sister seemed to have a negative opinion about her and that she seemed particularly interested in the current leader of the organization.

Hoitsu Sakakibara was a curious human, very resourceful and quite adept in the situations that fell on his lap. He was cautious to not be greedy but neither he was the most generous individual she had ever met.

He wasn't urged by materialistic needs as much as she had initially thought and his sheer interest in keeping everyone in the group he was leading safe and sound was somewhat… refreshing.

It was quite nostalgic, but not much close to what she had experienced back when Akasha Bloodriver had taken her in as her step-daughter. There was just a major difference regarding the tones and the approaches, possibly because the former head of the Dark Lords preferred to have a mother-daughter relationship rather than a friendly one.

There was also that strange 'embarrassment' that she would spot on him every time he would get particularly close to either her or the dark-haired Yokai. It wouldn't happen around Koneko and Kunou, neither with Kahlua, and that left the Shuzen with a perplexing note over the matter.

It certainly didn't help that the times she was the one close to him, she would feel quite… bashful, as if she knew that she was certainly doing something 'wrong' or behaving 'indecently'. She could remember little fragments of lessons from Akasha regarding womanly desires and how to act on them, but those were fuzzy pictures at best and she was unsure that this was truly the case with Hoitsu.

She wasn't certainly feeling 'lightened' by being around the young man, nor she felt her knee going weak. She was just glad to have someone that wasn't trying to kill nor backstab her after so much time.

This confusion was quickly met with the perfect resolution: Moka would surely know more on the matter and asking for advice would certainly prove to be a good decision from hers, especially since she learned that her relationship with Aono was beyond mere friendship.

That very detail was annoying, infuriating even for someone like Akua that loved and cherished the girl the most, _as a good sister should. _Something she had tried to refuse after the Alucard debacle, and yet it still was there to painfully remind her of her lack of reciprocity with her lovely sister.

"Kuroka-san?" She finally addressed, her mind shifting back to reality as the vampire noticed a curious glint within the golden orbs of the incredibly carefree Yokai.

"Forgive me if I am disturbing you with whatever you're doing, Akua-san." The Cat-girl replied with a simple and apologetic tone, then her whole demeanor turned back to her initial, mirthful glance. "But I wanted to ask if you would like to spar with me."

The Shuzen blinked. "A spar?" She repeated. "Any particular reason why?"

Kuroka shrugged. "Just felt like trying to gauge your skills." She explained curtly, the smile still there. "I wanted to know how strong you were and… maybe bond?"

An interesting proposition, the vampire agreed almost quickly, but then she found her mind sticking around the second section of her explanation, the uncertain reasoning leaving her perplexed for a moment.

Bonding?

The idea was good and all, but it seemed like something was missing about it as if the bonding was supposed to be on a more defined level. Could it be that she wanted to share a bond regarding their care for their siblings?

Difficult but possible, she ended up assessing.

Turning down the computer, she nodded towards the Nekoshou and the two left the room, directed at the training floor.

The area was vacant, an hour earlier being used by Baki alone with his Shadow-Fighting technique to train on his own and the young man had retired to his room. Kunou and Koneko were in the living room trying to keep up with the homework Hoitsu had started to leave for them to do after lunch, an attempt to have them still studying even though they were officially out of the school they previously studied in.

The two girls took the proper positions and waited a moment for each other to be truly ready for the fight.

"May the better fighter win~!" The Nekoshou said loudly before assuming her stance.

That sounded incredibly… strange.

Why would Kuroka proclaim that Akua was going to win this fight so eagerly?

And then… they charged against each other, an explosive clash ensuing.

* * *

"S-Sakakibara-san, surely I heard wrong but- did you just say that you are a Magician?" Kaneki Ken asked, lone eye wide open as the other was safely hidden behind his usual eyepatch.

Sitting in one of the few couches offered by the manager of the Anteiku, I found myself explaining a little bit of everything to the group of Ghouls assembled and standing in front of me.

While it was only Yoshimura, his daughter, Arata Kirishima, Kaneki and Touka that were in that room, I saw some other people coming at the destroyed front of the cafe. I saw Irimi Kaya, Enji Kouma, Yomo Renji and… Rio Shikorae?

The main protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul: Jail looked particularly normal, possibly shy at being the subject of some staring from me but I was quick to return my attention to the group as a whole.

There was no need to cast senseless suspicions as of now that the situation required utter caution and tact.

They were all seeking answers about what just happened and why I decided to visit today.

"You heard me right, Kaneki-san." I replied with a small smile. "I'm a 'Freelancer' Magician, a magic-user that didn't study by the Mage Council's rules and currently works for some important factions."

"Forgive me if I sound too much blunt but..." Touka started, her tone showing some doubt about my credibility. "You don't look much different than a normal human, Sakakibara-san."

"I mean, 'a normal human' wouldn't have been able to kill Jason and the Bin Brothers." I pointed out, getting a brief embarrassed blush out of her. "But yes, I suppose I don't 'look different' from another innocent bystander-"

I lifted my open palm for them to see the small electric sparks visibly running around my fingers. There was some awe, some minor surprise but… the best reaction was possibly Eto's.

The girl blinked, eyes going wide, then she stood up and rushed to one of the corners of the room, crouching a moment to pick something from the floor and then walking in front of me.

"Can you hold this for a moment?" She held one of the ends of a phone charger up to me, causing me to frown before just accepting the small section of the wire.

She held her phone, eyes almost fixed on the display as- **DING** -the sound of the phone charging up notified it was truly working. A gasp rushed out of her throat, her eyes giving a dreamy look.

"Y-You are a living battery!" She exclaimed, then froze and… bowed down to the ground.

"_Please teach me how to make that amazing stuff, Oh glorious being of Cool!_" She begged loudly and I was floored by her… memestic personality.

"E-Eto-san, magic isn't certainly something you can learn out easily and… you don't have an affinity for electrokinesis." I think I heard the sound of something shattering as the girl rolled over to lie completely on the floor as she stared up to the ceiling.

"This… this is made today a bad one." She commented gloomily and I smirked at her eccentric reactions. I have to admit, that is the kind of relief that I don't think I will ever get bored of.

"You know, Eto-san, you are the weirdest and funniest individual I've ever met." I said with a sure tone. She blinked, eyes narrowing on me before she giggled.

"Really? That is the first time someone called me that." She said with a genuine smile. "I mean 'Funniest'. Weirdest is kind of a common word to hear when people talk about me."

I nodded and returned my attention once more to the group. "As I was saying, the reason why I decided to reach out for Anteiku is..." I looked right at the manager. "Because I know you have a good grasp of Tokyo, sir, and I need the help of Ghouls to kill an important target."

"I no longer deal with this kind of things-" He started to reply, clearly annoyed at these bits of his past resurfacing.

"Because you are retired. I know that, sir, and that is why I just need to know whom to contact to have this job done." I interrupted, getting a brief glare from the elder before resuming with my explanation. "I can pay with some important information. Information that I think you will find very useful."

Kuzen frowned. "There is hardly anything that could be 'useful' information for me, young man-"

"They are still alive," I interjected once more, keeping a cryptic tone as I wished only for him to know about what I was talking about. "And I know where they are hiding."

"A friend of mine and I make sure they were gone forever-"

"And yet you and your friend missed a small but incredibly damning detail about them. They had a backer, someone supporting them from behind the scene." I quickly said, stopping him in his tracks. He gave me a confused look and I sighed.

I knew that if I wasn't careful in getting something out of him before giving him that truth bomb, I was going to get screwed somehow.

"But first I need the name of someone that could do the job." I reminded and he sighed.

"Depends on the kind of job and the danger level." He replied, giving me a careful look as I decided to give the full extension of the mission.

"Kill a former Church scientist and bring back some of the material in his laboratory." I started to explain. "He is guarded by some members from Aogiri Tree and his death is of the utmost importance."

"What did this man exactly do to warrant his assassination?" He finally asked and I found myself contemplating which details I should offer and which not.

"He was the lead figure to a project of the Church to rebuild an old, powerful relic which required specific requirements from the user to be wielded. One of these was that the user had to have a massive amount of light energy and… that meant sacrificing someone for the young age of the various candidates."

He closed his eyes as he realized what I was talking about. "Enough. I… I will be able to get in contact with someone by the end of the day after tomorrow."

I nodded, standing up from my seat. "Then I will be visiting at that time."

* * *

Koneko blinked tiredly as she woke up right where she had fallen asleep. The long couch both she and Kunou had used to have a proper nap after finishing today's homework was one of the comfiest ever, maybe close to her bed in terms of softness.

Her kohai was still snoring on her chest, fox ears and tails in full display as she cutely snuggled closer to the warmth coming off from her. It was an adorable sight for sure, but they both had things to do before Hoitsu-nii returned.

Yawning again, her golden eyes moved around the place, just to make sure that the young man hadn't returned yet and… she stopped right at the sight of a familiar tanned vampire smiling at her.

Kahlua Shuzen was someone that unnerved and intrigued the silver-haired Nekoshou at the same time. The girl was cheerful, even now her smile looked quite genuine and trustworthy… but Hoitsu-nii had been rather serious about being careful around her.

The blonde vampire lacked control over herself during fights, one of the worst traits one could deal with especially since the tanned female was much stronger than she was in every stats.

"Hi." Kahlua finally spoke, her tone soft and mindful of the still-sleeping Kunou. Maybe Koneko should have gotten her Kohai to wake up, maybe she should have been careful to not end up in this predicament at all.

"H-Hello." The silver-haired girl replied, causing the older female's smile to widen a little more.

There were a few moments of silence, then the older girl spoke. "Can I ask you a favor?"

A chill went down her spine at hearing this kind of words, her breathing manually forced to not hyper-ventilate as the Nekoshou evaluated her chances of running away from this encounter with Kunou straddling on her chest.

It was a suicidal plan, one that she didn't want to try to use as she knew that the kitsune would be hurt somehow if she failed.

Thus Koneko decided to nod calmly. "S-Sure."

Kahlua tilted her head on the side, almost childishly. Then she asked.

"Can… I pet you?"

… "W-What?" Her face paled a little at the request. She was well-aware of the Wealth of Power vampires were able to use, to twist their limbs and turn those in dangerous weapons. If she was too close to that kind of danger, nothing would stop the naive Shuzen from stabbing the cat-girl right in her head.

The blonde noticed the panicked look in Koneko's face and suddenly deflated, the smile dropped and her eyelids half-closing. "Sorry." She whispered. "D-Didn't mean to sound too… scary."

She looked away, red eyes showing uncertainty and distress. "I… I just wanted to see if it was like petting a cat or not and..." She sighed. "I- I promised Papa and Akua-nee that I wouldn't have hurt anyone anymore."

The young girl frowned at those words. "You mean that you… are putting an effort? I mean, to not hurt people."

And her eyes were back on the girl, mirthfulness replaced by sadness as she nodded. "I-I'm sorry for having been naughty with M-Moka-nee and her friends a-and I didn't want to- to-"

"C-Could you come a little closer?" Koneko asked calmly, causing the blonde to look surprised at the request but still complying as she was curious about what was going on. Then she crouched a little as the silver-haired cat-girl gestured her to do so and…

"U-Uh?"

At first, her mind failed to register the pair of soft arms wrapping around her, red eyes going wide in shock at the sudden embrace but… she sniffled and returned the kind action.

A few tears fell, her sadness slowly subsiding as she heard the distinct sound of purring coming from the younger female, causing the vampire to crack another genuine smile.

The warmth was nice and both enjoyed the hug until it came to an end. "I-I will try to be more mindful around you, K-Kahlua...-nee."

There was some silence, the happiness that was deprived from her was now blooming once more at the way she was addressed by the cute girl.

"T-Thank you, Koneko-chan."

Her hands were careful as the Nekoshou allowed her to caress her feline ears, eyes widening in awe at how soft and positively strange the texture of her ears was. It was like a cat, like _that cat_.

She paused a moment, the sad memory preventing her to continue. The brief hesitation was quickly caught by Koneko, the girl frowning in confusion.

"Something wrong, Kahlua-nee?" The question quickly brought her back from that sad part of her past as she shook her head.

"N-Nothing, just thinking..."

But the younger girl wasn't done with her questions. "So… you had a kitty, Kahlua-nee? You said that… you had one in the past?"

The blonde scolded the lack of tact with her own words but decided that a quick and curt reply would be enough.

"A little one with black fur with some white spots. But- But I kept him only for a week as he was sick and..."

Koneko nodded. "It's alright, Kahlua-nee. You don't have to hurt yourself by remembering that."

The kind words warmed her heart and she returned the nod with one of her owns. "T-Thank you."

"W-Would you like one?" The Nekoshou blurted quickly, causing the vampire to pause once more, this time in confusion.

"What?"

Golden eyes turned to stare at her. "A kitty. Would you like one now?"

Her mind turned black at that question. Having a new kitty now? Sure, she would accept it without hesitation and yet…

She could still remember her mother's words after she killed the little kitty before her.

"_Weaklings shouldn't be cared for. They can't offer you anything and you would just waste time and resources for nothing in return_."

And thus, instead of giving a positive response, Kahlua lowered her head and shook a negative.

"I-I don't want to waste people's time and-"

"You wouldn't waste time if you want a pet." Koneko interrupted with a frown. "I bet Hoitsu-nii would say 'yes' if you asked him."

Her eyes widened in surprise and curiosity. "Would he?" She asked at the younger girl.

The silver-haired girl nodded and the tanned vampire smiled widely. "T-Then I will have to see if it's true and..." She stopped there, her mind offering multiple good scenarios where she could get a little kitty. All the little plans she had when she was a mere child were now flashing back to her from her brain, things like responsibility and being kind just as Mama had told her.

Yes, that could work-

**Ka-BOOM!**

The sudden noise of an explosion woke up Kunou and made the two already awake girls jump in surprise.

"W-What was that?" Kunou asked, her tone wobbly and a little scared.

"I-I think it came from the training floor." Koneko replied, helping the kitsune out of her hold and to stand up from the couch.

Kahlia looked uncertain for a moment, then she nodded. "I-I will see what is going on." She said determinedly, walking towards the staircase and ready to deal with any intruder that wanted to attack the nice people here.

The two Yokais followed closely, keeping a safe distance as they let the tanned girl lead the way.

Soon they found themselves in the training room and… were given a confusing sight.

* * *

The return back to the apartment was once more uneventful and yet I found myself disappointed a little how things had turned out to be.

_Hopefully, the man Yoshimura promised to contact will be able to deal with Valper and his bodyguards._

_**He will offer someone strong enough to make the trip and survive it and who knows who will get the role. Still, I'm surprised to see so much divergence from Tokyo Ghoul's canon.**_

_Still, it's a better setting than the one we were expecting… except for Aogiri Tree. Now we know that Eto isn't leading it but we are completely clueless who exactly is controlling it and it could be someone far worse than her._

_**Whoever they are, they are going to get quite the issues if Valper dies in their custody. Kokabiel would raise some hell about it and they would end up weakened.**_

_True enough._

Before entering inside, I did remember that once I had changed in something a little more comfortable I had to send Akeno a message with the info for tomorrow's meeting and I was silently praying that it wouldn't end up being a reason for the girl to rekindle her pursuit.

I was too pissed about her attitude regarding Asia's situation to let her prioritize that before her genuine apology. I knew she was trying to do something good there, but I could allow her to keep playing around the problem like that.

Closing the door behind me, I turned to see Kunou poking her head from the living room. "Niichan! You need to go to the training room, it's serious!"

Uh?

Confusion rising at that worried edge in the kitsune's tone, I was quickly making my way to the staircase. As I was going up to the third floor, I could hear the noises of a quick-paced fight ongoing and then, the moment I walked inside the training room, I found myself staring at the strangest of sights.

Kuroka and Akua were breathing laboriously, sporting cuts both in their clothes and on their faces.

The zone around them was devastated with holes and craters, the various Youjutsu circles forming in front of the Nekoshou and dropping several explosive spells were responsible for such destructive power.

_**Are you sure that Kuroka is truly a Nekoshou and not a member of the Crimson Demon Clan?**_

I noticed Baki, Koneko, Kunou, and Kahlua all staring at the match, the Hanma glancing my way with an uneasy smile. I approached them first. "Ok, what is going on with them?"

"Baka-nee and Akua-san were fighting when we arrived there." Koneko replied quickly, still looking at the fierce fighting.

"And I tried to intervene..." The young man pointed at the burning spot on his shirt. "The ladies didn't appreciate my presence during their quarrel."

I frowned. "A quarrel?"

"It's in their viciousness." The Hanma explained. "If you look closely, they both are trying to hurt the other… without going overboard."

My eyes narrowed at the scene and I did see that both were somehow holding back in that furious sparring: Akua used her Jigen-Tou to become intangible while attacking Kuroka and the cat-girl was aiming precisely a little bit away from the Black Deva as to just push her out of her patterns.

"Does anyone know how long has this been going?"

Baki hummed. "I think for three hours now." He said with some doubts. "It's a guess, but I did saw Kuroka-san passing near the training room three hours ago and I did end up around that time."

"Well, whatever reasons got them both this much angry at each other, I think it's time to end it at once."

I snapped in my Senjutsu form and rushed right onto the two girls. They stopped a moment, tensing and turning to look at me as they felt my energy spiking. They gave both a wide-eyed look and I proceeded to use this occasion to make use of Silver Lining.

Strings of light appeared and started to restrain them from continuing 'bickering' around. They tried to fight back but a few moments later they were all tied up.

"So, which one of you two is going to explain to me what is going on here?"

They didn't look my way and kept quiet, causing me to sigh. "Look, I'm not angry but I want to know what is going on with your aggressive fighting and-"

"Kuroka-san used a foul word against me." The Shuzen interjected quickly, causing the Nekoshou to look angry once more.

"You said that I was behaving like a harlot with Hoitsu-kun, you bitch!"

Akua tried to move her hand to point at her. "There! See!"

Meanwhile, I was shaking my head utterly disappointed. "_I'm dealing with two brats_."

Of course, the ever-attentive dark-haired Yokai heard of it and smiled. "Oh? Is this a promise of something- Uh?" She stopped as I turned to glare at her.

"Never pull anything like that and… both of you will be punished in a very easy but just way for this very situation." I let out a smile and the two looked confused at what I could be talking about.

"S-Sure Hoitsu-kun- by the way, c-could you give us already the Phoenix's Tears and..."

I continued to smile sweetly and silence reigned for a while.

"Y-You aren't going to give us the Tears, aren't you?" Akua softly guessed and I nodded, causing her to deflate.

"That's correct. You both decided it was nice and fun to fight so childishly and so you will be treated as kids… by your very siblings." I turned to the group of spectators and at the surprised girls in particular. "Koneko-chan will take care of Kuroka while Kahlua with the help of Kunou will nurse Akua."

Both tried to protest but the other girls were on the move and I started to walk away.

Just as I was about to say that I was going to get some rest back in my room, I felt someone tugging at one of my sleeves and causing me to stop.

I turned around and saw Kahlua looking particularly shy and nervous for some reason. "Is there something you need, Kahlua-san?"

She nodded and, a few moments of silence later, she spoke. "I-I wanted to know if- if I could get a kitty."

I blinked. "A kitty?" I hummed, a little surprised by the request but then I nodded. "If your sister is alright, then I see no problem for you to get one. Still, it will be your responsibility and I expect that you will take care of it well."

She nodded, a wide smile appearing on her face before she gave me a bone-crushing hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She let go and then rushed towards her sister, giggling childishly while I stared at her with a confused look.

_What did just happen?!_

* * *

**AN**

**Next chapter, Akeno's date and maybe another Omake.**

**I will not stretch too much the AN, but I will say that I've now plans for Kahlua, Koneko and Serafall pairings. Someone will be incredibly surprise and shocked by some decisions but I can say that the individuals I picked match oddly well with them.**

_**Future milestone 1: 696 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**AbyssRhythme****: Thanks and, I bet you will like who will be the real villain. I will not spoiler it here, but I can safely say that this individual didn't appear in Dxd… but it's from that dimension.**

**Zacarara****: Not my first language, but I do have a C2 English certificate that prove I can do stuff. I tried seeing if there were problems by passing the chapter to some good FF writers and they confirmed it was fine. I think you may have read something else, but still thank you for trying!**

**Sydanus0900****: Because the Infinity Stones wouldn't be on Earth. The Stones wouldn't be reachable and there is no Thanos in this universe. No big grape-man to make wrong math once more.**

**Darkmaster10000000:**** I've some unexpected surprises with Eto. Some might end up disliking them but… leshrug.**

**Evyplayz121****: He was subjected to it, but no, he didn't 'receive' it. The reason for such action will become clearer very soon.**

**NexusPrime42****: Would be interesting but clashes with the DxD lore as… Miu is the Queen of Devils and DxD has the Four Satans and the Bael clan to rule over the Underworld.**

**Scumblenut****: Lightsaber will receive some upgrades, yes. But no, SW for… several reasons.**

**Acolyte of Don****: I've seen the Legal Eagle take on that deleted scene and I've to say that I understand why it became a meme. Possibly a cameo?**


	33. Heavenly Lunch

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 33****: Heavenly Lunch**

* * *

The small restaurant I found in the Chiyoda Ward was the perfect place to deal with Akeno. It was a little establishment that I picked out of the other more expensive alternatives mostly because I wanted to make it clear that this event was a mere friendly hangout.

No dating, no hints of anything even close to romantic approaches, this wasn't going to be the classic comedic relief situation where the real issue is suddenly skipped by her. She was going to apologize or return to Kuoh Town with a strong rejection for any attempt to make some reconciliation.

Convincing the group that I was going to talk with some Grigori contact proved to be far more difficult than the excuse used yesterday. Kuroka and Kunou were the most suspicious about the matter, but I managed to trick them with a stern mask and repeating that it was just some work for Azazel.

'**There is also that Nekoshou, Koneko-san, she looked quite unconvinced too.**'

_She did promise to not follow me where I was going just like the others-_

_**Better safe than sorry, she could think that you are going in some ambush with the crap going on in Tokyo.**_

_I can't sense her and I will not snoop around just to make sure she isn't here._

I sighed as I saw some waiters passing around, some people already eating and chatting in the other tables as I waited for the Himejima to make an appearance. Eyes turned to the watch on my wrist, I blink at the fact it was still too early to say she was being late.

There were still only five minutes before the precise time for our planned meeting and the reason why I was being quite annoyed by this situation was… because I was feeling nervous.

As much as I could easily deal with Kuroka as we weren't dealing with any situation that could blow up on our faces, the situation with Akeno was completely different and terribly complicated.

While I knew from prior Canon knowledge that Akeno was and still is a good person, her mannerisms regarding normal instances and the way she decided to deal with what Rias did with Asia were still things that couldn't just be forgiven.

And even though I mightn't be the one that deserved the final apology, I was certainly embittered by the fact she just decided to ignore me and make it seem like a normal situation, which I shouldn't be worried about.

A behavior that infuriated me to the core and the only reason I didn't explode on her was that I deployed all of this frustration by smashing both magician forces and Diodora during the Rescue operation at the Gremory Mansion.

A few moments of relative thinking passed and then I saw her coming from the main entrance of the building.

Akeno was dressed in a simple pink dress with black, white and red decorations, a small skirt that reached near her knees and her hair were let free-

I had to blink to regain focus, for some reason the sight being actually… pleasant. It was the first time I saw 'personally' how she looked without her usual hairstyle and I was finding it a good change.

She was smiling a little, her lips twitching nervously as she stopped right by the table, waiting for confirmation before taking a seat. I nodded and she took a seat, silently picking up the small menu with the various dishes available.

I let her choose what she wanted to eat before truly tackling the problem, waiting even the waitress passed to pick the orders.

I decided on a plate of simple curry rice and some water, while the girl ordered some onigiris.

The worker nodded once she had both dishes written down and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen, leaving us once more alone.

The Himejima placed the menu down and glanced at me, violet eyes showing the same nervousness that she had early on the encounter. "Hoitsu-kun."

I nodded, showing that I was listening to her and the young woman sighed before showing a serious look.

"I wish to apologize." She started, her tone was tense but compact enough to convey her message. "I- I know that avoiding you when I learned about Asia's departure was a mistake and I know that I was terribly mistaken in assuming that doing so would have lessened your reactions on the matter."

She lowered her head a little, eyes turning at the table. "I know that doing so was a breach of the trust you had in me and that..." She stopped a moment, fidgeting just briefly. "I- I didn't know what to do at t-the time."

Her eyes closed. "I didn't want to go against Rias and break her trust, but I also didn't want to- to fully lie to you and-" She stopped, hands going near her face to cover a sob, failing as some tears trailed down.

I sighed tiredly, deciding to intervene before the situation escalated to an unsustainable level. Standing up from my seat, I picked a tissue from the small dispenser on the table and slowly went to reach for her face.

Akeno noticed my shadow looming over her and froze in her crying, hands moving away so she could see what was going on. Her eyes widened as the tissue touched near her right eye.

There was shock on her face, but soon I explained what I was doing. "Akeno, I might be very disappointed with what you did about that situation." Then I stopped to smile. "But I sure don't hate you and I think you know my perspective about seeing girls crying, right?"

The Himejima blinked, then her sadness twitched in minor comfort and… she nuzzled my hand. "I missed you." She whispered, her hands softly holding the one with the tissue.

Another accommodating sigh and soon she let go of my palm, taking the tissue in her own hold and helping herself with the tears.

Soon after, the waitress returned with the two plates containing our orders and the discussion shifted to less tense topics.

"Seriously? You caught Sona swearing?" I asked in utter shock at what I just heard.

Akeno giggled a little. "The president was quite… surprised by the amount of paperwork you would receive on a daily basis, Ruruko and Reya were almost overwhelmed by the number of requests they had to sign while filling your role."

I frowned. "But for it to be that bad?" I pressed a little more. "Surely there had to have been another reason for causing her to react that way."

"Sona-san was angry because it wasn't alright for a single individual to deal with that much work-load. In fact, she even went as far as to say that she wanted to apologize for this situation after giving you a lecture about asking for help." The girl continued to narrate while I facepalmed a little.

"I-I was alright with that much work." I tried to defend myself. "It wasn't unhealthy or-"

"Sona-san said that there were 126 papers in those daily stacks of paperwork, if you were still there I think she would go as far to give you a wage." The Himejima giggled as she interrupted me with that.

I sighed. "At least I will be able to return by the end of the month while also having this work continue."

At hearing about the mysterious reason keeping me there, Akeno raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"By the way, Hoitsu-kun, what are you exactly doing here in Tokyo?" Then she realized the phrasing of her question and shook her head. "I mean if it's possible to know."

I hummed, thinking if giving her that detail would or wouldn't truly be that harmful.

_**I think Azazel did say that the name and the function of the Omega Initiative had been already told to the Satans and Heaven, I don't think Akeno will genuinely cause any issue if she knows about this.**_

I nodded at that reasoning and started to explain to her about what had happened until that very day, excluding some of the secret situations like the one with Anteiku and Zerkram's words about my 'legitimacy as the heir of Lucifer'.

She showed surprise, curiosity, awe and… annoyance.

"I notice that you have many women in this group of yours." She pointed out with a suspicious tone, causing me to sigh tiredly.

"Excluding Koneko and Kunou that are little sisters to me, Kahlua doesn't feel anything but friendship for me, and Akua and Kuroka are very professional with their jobs-" I went to reason, but sadly the girl was far from done.

"And you didn't spend some special time with Kuroka-san and Akua-san?"

I frowned. "I did take a walk to the Ueno Park with Kuroka but that's it-"

"So you did go on a date with her." She affirmed with utter certainty.

"It was a friendly hangout." I corrected with a stern tone and the young woman narrowed her eyes at my face.

"And pray tell, what do you consider this little situation we are having?" Akeno asked with a strange tone, causing me to give her a confused frown.

"A… friendly hangout?" At my words, the Himejima lowered her gaze to her now empty plate and closed her eyes.

"So, it was a date."

_What is she talking about?! I just said that it was a friendly hangout._

_**Anime logic: guys are generally too dense to understand the difference between a date and a friendly hangout, thus Akeno is thinking you don't see the flirting from Kuroka.**_

_Which isn't true!-_

_**Which isn't true.**_

Just as I was about to rebuke this misunderstanding and explain that I knew what was going on with Kuroka, I felt a sudden energy pattern appearing near the restaurant.

I felt my face paling, Akeno's eyes widening too as she felt the immense amount of energy slowly moving towards the entrance of the establishment and…

Blue eyes widened, a big smile appeared on the blonde walking through the open doors with her gaze fixed at me. She was incredibly gorgeous, heavenly so.

The woman stopped by our table and I frowned as I knew who she was but… why was she there?

She closed her eyes and let her smile turn bigger.

"Onii-san, I finally found you!"

And thus I ended up glomped by Gabriel, much to my surprise and Akeno's dread.

* * *

After paying for the check, I decided it was best for us to get moving, the innocent and naive Seraph deciding to attach herself onto me, her arms wrapping around mine as I took the lead for some walking around the area.

"I'm not your 'Onii-san', Gabriel." I tried to reason but, much to my dismay, the girl refused to believe my words.

"It has to be you!" She shook her head childishly. "It's you, Oniichan!"

The Himejima frowned. "Hoitsu-kun is just a human, Gabriel-san." She tried to join on my side but… the Angel turned to bore a strange look at her.

"Who are you?" The blonde asked cautiously, tightening her hold over my poor limb as she protectively kept me from the hybrid girl.

"I'm Hoitsu-kun's friend, G-Gabriel-san," Akeno replied strongly. "A-And you are hurting him by squishing his arm that hard."

At hearing those words, the naive Seraph turned back to her hold as her eyes widened in surprise and embarrassment. "S-Sorry, Oniichan, I-I didn't w-want to hurt you a-and-" I sighed as she was starting to flinch a little, almost expecting some scolding.

It was instinctive but the moment I put my free hand over her head and patted it just once, the girl froze, eyes widening astronomically at the gesture and, for some reason, I felt danger approaching.

"I-It's just like when I was little!" The Angel squeaked before hugging me once more. "Oniichan remembers that!"

_To think that Lucifer would… treat Gabriel as his little sister…_

_**I think the real shocker is that she said 'when she was little'. Aren't Seraphs supposed to be created already in their maturity by God?**_

_That should be the case… but maybe-_

"Oh! Do you remember my nickname, Oniichan?" Gabriel asked out-of-the-blue. "The one you gave me saying that it was adorable and-"

"Gabriel." She stopped at hearing my tone, a surprised look on her face. "I'm not you 'Oniichan'."

She opened her mouth, ready to dismiss this but… I gave her a sad look, something that caused her to pause and reflect. The pause lasted several seconds and then… the woman frowned confused.

"B-But you- you have to be him." She pressed on. "You- You are like him a-and-" She stopped again, her face turning blank for a moment, causing me to tense a little as she _smiled and started to laugh._

"Oniichan is joking! It's just like when you told me that Michael was actually a girl but he wasn't!"

..._Okay, now I will have to check on that story from Azazel once I find some time to call him._

Nonetheless, Gabriel was in denial. There was no way for me to truly make her see reason about the matter and I decided to sigh tiredly.

Knowing that continuing this endeavor was as risky as fruitless, I passed at the following question. "Did you come here with Michael or are you alone?"

Surprisingly enough, the most innocent and naive Angel in Heaven gave me the fakest distracted look possible. "I-I went for a walk, yes!" She looked pleased by the flimsy reason offered but I gave her a suspicious look before pressing on.

"I think someone is lying~." She pouted at my words and looked away from me.

"T-That's not true." She replied with an unconvincing tone. "I- Michael said that I could go and take some rest-"

"But I bet he was referring still to Heaven." Her pout intensified and she flinched a little at being caught on that detail.

Still, I knew that the situation wasn't going to be resolved by dealing with Gabriel alone and thus, I turned to Akeno and stopped. "Gabriel, can you let go for a moment? I need to say something to Akeno."

The blonde squeezed a little. "It's important?"

I nodded. "Very important and, once I'm done, we will be going back to my home so you can get some rest."

The Angel frowned. "B-but I'm not sleepy-"

"But your Oniichan might need some rest or he might fall unconscious and you wouldn't that, would you?" At hearing my words she blinked, eyes going wide open and she nodded.

Moments later she let go of my arm so I could turn my attention to the Himejima.

The girl sighed at seeing my sad expression but nodded. "I guess that you will have to deal with this now, Hoitsu-kun." She had a disappointed look but still sighed, a small smile piercing through her gloomy mood. "I hope you could still offer some other hangouts in the future. I found this one to be… interesting."

I smiled and nodded. "I liked it too and I will organize others, yes." Yet I closed my eyes and nodded. "Also, I'm sorry for letting you go this early in the day, Akeno. I did enjoy spending time with you and- Uh?"

A brief giggle, two steps forward and I felt my left cheek conquered by her lips.

The girl stepped back, eyes closed as she gave a grateful and happy smile. "Thank you and… I don't mind. I understand the situation requires you and..." She nodded. "I shall see you soon, hopefully."

I blinked and nodded. "Y-Yes."

The Himejima turned around and started to slowly walk away, leaving me to look at her until she left my sight.

_**She knows how to press our buttons when she gets in her comfort zone.**_

'**A beautiful and cunning woman. You have quite the following, Hoitsu.**'

I sighed and nodded, turning around only to find a fuming Gabriel.

"Mou, why did you let that girl kiss you on the cheek?"

I blinked. "I think that's called being good friends, Gabi-chan."

The blonde froze for some moments, then her eyes widened once more. "Y-You remembered my nickname." A giggle left her lips as the Angel tackled me down to the floor. "Oniichan remembered my Nickname!"

_I think that this is getting quite ridiculous. I can understand head-patting, hugging and the kind tone when addressing her but… getting the nickname Lucifer gave her?_

_**You are failing to see a fatal flaw in this connection. Her words are slowly manipulating you to consider those coincidences into truthful proof of her words. While Lucifer could certainly have been someone considering her as his younger sibling, the connection between you and him is frail at best. You might share some 'energy' similarity and some personality that is actually very common, but I wouldn't go as far as calling yourself a true 'Second Coming' for Lucifer. Also, the nickname thing is kind of easy as the nickname for Gabrielle is Gabi for many families.**_

_...Maybe you are right. I could be getting manipulated unconsciously by Gabriel's childish fanaticism and it's all a massive coincidence._

_**It is. Don't sweat it too much.**_

I nodded and, groaning at the giggling Seraph latching on my arm once more, I proceeded to walk back to the apartment, my free hand fishing out of the pocket my phone as I started to call Azazel.

This sure was going to be quite an interesting day for me, wasn't it?

* * *

**AN**

**Allergies caught me unaware! That is why the chapter is so terribly short and I promise some lengthy chapter tomorrow. It will be a chapter of stealth, of surprises and battles.**

**It will be EPIC GAMING TIME! And there will be a continuation of the Gabi's predicament. I bet no one will expect how I will mold Michael in this situation.**

**Fun Fact: I was baptized in a Church named after Arch-Angel Michael so… yeah. **

**Also, we reached the 696 Follows milestone- HUZZAH!**

**And now our newest milestone: **

_**Future milestone 1: 717 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Darkmaster10000000****: There will be some more Jojo's watching but ****I don't think**** there will be any Jojo joining the cast of this story.**

**RedBurningDragon****: It will be a funny scene.**

**Fafnir1404****: FF doubled your Review and by your idea I think I developed something similar but that could still work. I can't make Mio Vali's half-sister, but I can still have them related. I will explain when she and Maria will appear.**


	34. Sisterly' Rivalry

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 34****: 'Sisterly' Rivalry**

* * *

I should have seen this happening way before returning to the headquarters.

Smiling happily, Gabriel was resting her head on my shoulder as she continued to sit beside me by one of the couches in the living room. On the opposite couch sat a glaring Kunou, the Kitsune had her arms crossed near her chest, foxy tails waggling frustratingly as she tried to deal with the annoying sight before her.

I guess that it had to be fairly infuriating to see her surrogate big brother being 'taken as a hostage' by the innocent but possessive Angel latched at my arm.

A pout characterizing her face, the younger blonde looked ready to attack the Seraph any moments now, her eyes giving the fiercest and most hateful look the chibi could muster.

It was flattering to know that she was as protective of me as I was of her, but the main issue in that explosive predicament was that if the fight erupted I would end up caught in the crossfire between the two girls.

Kuroka was staring from afar as she prepared to intervene in case the situation escalated, her face showing caution, dread and… relief.

At least that was what I could gather after I explained to her the situation, the Nekoshou seemed to smile a little after I told her that Gabriel believed I was one of her brothers.

_**She is happy that she will not have to deal with a new love rival.**_

_I thought that she and Akeno were the only ones giving chase, did I miss someone else?_

_**Let's just say it will be a sudden surprise.**_

I sighed at the lack of a proper response, glancing at the kitchen area where Akua was finishing cleaning the plates and the cutlery and…

Why was she spending so much time on that knife? It's been ten minutes now and I think it was starting to bend at her unchecked strength. The vampire glanced my way just once or twice, returning quickly at her chores the moment she saw me looking back at her. Her face would gain some more red, but I guess it is quite embarrassing to have someone looking right at you when you are cleaning things.

Kahlua and Koneko were the most neutral over the matter. While the tanned girl was devoting her whole attention to the cartoon she was watching by one of the TVs, the younger Nekoshou would merely glance with some worry right at the hot zone. From her looks alone I could say she was really contemplating whether or not she should intervene in case things went down with a fight.

Gabriel was one of the strongest being in Heaven and, while her naivety and innocence would be easily mistaken as weakness, I was fairly sure that within her core there was also some sense of duty and mercilessness in case things turned dire.

Calling Azazel as soon as I could proved to be the right choice, the man was shocked by the news but also partly happy to see 'the most beautiful angel' after so much time. I was a little irked at the tone he used to address the woman but I was quick to shift the conversation to ask to have Michael pass by.

The Governor-General was a little hesitant, reasoning that contacting the Arch-Angel would bring quite the hassle as the current Regent of Heaven was very busy with how chaotic things had been in Heaven recently.

Nothing was said to expand on this but the Fallen Angel decided that calling was still worth 'the nag' he was going to get by the 'self-pretentious prick'.

The call ended abruptly and I was kind of surprised at the lack of agitations within Gabriel. The beautiful Angel was lost in her happiness at having 'found her Oniichan' and the fact she had started 'remind' me of the good times 'we' shared together in 'our childhood'.

From teaching her about the creations around the World just like an older sibling should to personal experiences like sharing baths when 'she was little and shy' and sleeping together in the same bed.

While the instances proposed were dreadful without giving the context that nothing remotely lewd happened during said events, I found two major worries regarding the description about those shared baths:

1) Gabriel seemed ecstatic about those moments and part of me was concerned that she might as well ask to do something like that with me… and that would be something embarrassing to go through. One would say that it would be dumb to refuse such offer if it was ever proposed, but I knew that by the time she learned that I wasn't Lucifer, I was going to be brutally murdered by Michael;

2) Kunou looked incredibly angry and confused at hearing about this situation. Back when she came to live with me, I did tell her that it was wrong for a male sibling to share the bathroom with his sister and this very situation dismantled that notion. She gave me a quick pout, but in her eyes instead of a glare, I found some planning in the making and… that was scary to know.

Azazel did say that it would take some time, from two to four hours to get Michael to come and pick up Gabriel, but I was already starting to pray for him to arrive much earlier.

Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was pure luck, but just as I sighed for the umpteenth time, I heard the doorbell ringing.

I blinked as I saw Kunou standing up and quickly walking to the door, slowly opening it to peek.

"You are Gabi's older brother?" I could hear her ask with a curious tone, then there was a brief silence before she continued with an annoyed tone. "Can you please take her away? She is trying to steal my Niichan!"

She backed away as a feminine, tall man entered inside the apartment. He had long, blond hair left unrestrained, a big armor which golden elements jumped to the eye together with the glowing halo over his head.

Gabriel looked the same direction I was looking at and her eyes widened. "Michael?! I- I mean _Good morning big brother-_"

"Spare me the excuses, young lady." The man replied with a kind voice. "Skipping your duties so suddenly was quite irresponsible of you and-"

His blue eyes widened as he spotted me and he slowly approached the couch. I tensed up as he loomed over me and was ready to move away when I saw his open hand moving over my head and…

I blinked, frowning in surprise as some time passed and… the Arch-Angel continued to head-pat me. "Azazel was right." He said with a hint of surprise at the edge of his voice. "You do_ look_ like our late brother, Hoitsu Sakakibara."

The female Angel blinked in confusion at the older Seraph's words. "Silly Michael, he **is** our brother!"

The youthful man opened his mouth to retort that claim, but I quickly shook my head.

"She thinks it's a 'joke'." The quick answer was met with another wide-eyed moment but Michael nodded, sighing tiredly at the situation.

"I wish to apologize for this predicament, my sister was… really attached to him." He explained with a soft tone. "She… doesn't know how he went out."

I flinched just a moment, trying to not meet up Gabriel's confused gaze as she tried to make sense about what we were talking about but luckily enough she didn't press the situation other than mere staring.

Soon the blonde was yanked away from me as Michael's gloved fingers went to pinch and pull the woman's cheek to force her out of my proximity.

"Uhu, Maichul! Twhat hwurt!" She flailed to get out of his stern hold and he sighed a little annoyed.

"Gabriel, you need to show some decorum as a Seraph." He scolded lightly, then he turned to look at me, bowing briefly. "I wish to apologize for this mishap, she could be a handful about this."

"It wasn't terrible and she behaved well," I replied calmly. "It was more the fact she arrived while I was busy with something important."

"Shee! I was shuper-nice!" Gabriel butted in, only to have the pinching intensify. "Uhhhu!"

"You still disturbed Hoitsu-san and deserted your work today." He rebuked and, as he turned to reach for the entrance, he paused just a moment to turn towards me. "Also, there is something I wished to say to you, young man."

I frowned and nodded for him to continue.

"Azazel did stress more than enough that someone is plotting against the peace of the three Factions and I can assure you as I did with him that Heaven isn't interested in rekindling the War..." Michael stopped, looking doubtful for a moment.

"But?" I pressed him to continue and he sighed.

"Some Angels will not accept full neutrality." He finally said. "There would be another rebellion if we don't take a more aggressive stance before a good opportunity to… end all Evil."

I nodded and golden light started to concentrate on his palm, an object creating and… I narrowed my eyes at the familiar shape, still unable to discern what it was because of the light.

"Before betraying God,** he** left a curious object in his workshop. He said it was important in case of War, something to use against greater powers and… our researchers are clueless about its power, only determining its miraculous healing properties and perseverance against any attack."

The light faded slowly and I was bestowed with the most insane sight ever. Eyes going wide, a little twitch repeating by my left eye and my jaws dropping down to the floor, I continued to stare at the_ scabbard that wasn't supposed to be in this universe._

"I will entrust this to you in a show of trust we are building up with Grigori. I think you will have higher chances to understand its working and I know that it will not be a major loss for Heaven."

_**It will not be a major loss for Heaven- IS HE INSANE OR WHAT?!**_

I gulped nervously before nodding and accepting the golden-and-blue sheath with some hesitation and I decided to ask more about it.

"D-Did he mentions anything about the sword it contained?"

The Arch-Angel shook his head. "The last time he talked about this project, he said it was a preventive weapon for dangerous threats to humanity. But we did notice that the weight was… off."

Now that I was holding it, I did feel the object being _heavier_ than it looked to be. Frowning I tried to reach for the empty inside and-

**BZZT!**

My hand dodged the strange electric sensation coming from the area around the opening, making me narrow at the phenomenon.

"There is also that. Nobody was able to understand why there was some sort of magical protection for this and… I think it's time for us to go." The Arch-Angel returned to look at the door and was about to go outside the apartment while dragging Gabriel but… I remembered something and moved to stop them.

"A-Actually Michael-san, I have a request for you." The blond stopped at my hasty words, turning his head to throw a confused look at me.

"A few weeks ago, a young girl named Asia Argento was excommunicated for having healed someone that falsely appeared as a Stray Devil. There is strong evidence that it was a set-up to try and get her expelled from the Church and..." I sighed tiredly and bowed a little. "I beg of you to at least look at her case and possibly consider lifting the excommunication."

The man looked surprised at the request, Gabriel looking interested but focusing mostly on the steel-like hold her brother's fingers were having over her suffering cheek.

"That is a bold request… but I suppose you have reasons to ask this." The Angel thought out-loud. He nodded. "I will look at the matter, but only if the circumstances prove your statement correct I will see to have this possible mistake corrected."

We shared a nod and I followed them by the door, a yellow portal forming in front of the entrance as the two Angels went through it. A few moments later, nothing of their presence was left… except for this scabbard.

'**What is so special about this object? I can feel some of its hidden power, but I don't see why you would be so shocked to have it in your possession**.'

_Avalon was the scabbard of Excalibur… in another dimension. This isn't the scabbard of the Holy Sword created with Alchemy, Magic, and knowledge from God's territory, but the one that __holds__ the legendary Divine Construct nicknamed 'the Sword of Promised Victory', the crystallization of the wishes of Mankind created by the Will of Planet Earth._

_**Either sealed or not, Excalibur could be classified as a nuke-level weapon with its raw power. It's kind of sad that Protection of Wind and the Protection of the Faes aren't accepting you like the new user.**_

_The requirements are very high and, if I have to be honest, I don't think making use of swords can become a thing for me. Heck, my swordsmanship is rather meek compared to any of my other abilities._

Just as I turned around to return inside the apartment, I found a short individual proceeding to hug me tightly. I looked down and saw Kunou giving me the strongest pout yet.

"Niichan, you stink." The Kitsune judged blankly.

_Ouch, really? I thought I was careful to shower properly for the hangout with Akeno-_

"And I do too." She finished with a small smile. "So that means that we could-"

Oh no. Nononononononono-

"-bathe together?"

_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

_**This is a bad situation! I repeat this is a Defcon 2 situation!**_

I was about to protest when I felt someone wrap her arms around me from behind. "Oh? You do need some washing-"

"Finish that sentence and next time we are training you will be spending a full day recovering from your daily spars with Akua." She paled at the threat and backed away as I sighed at the little blonde.

"Ku-chan, what Gabriel said wasn't-"

"I-I d-don't want to try because G-Gabi-_teme_ said that about her Oniichan!" She interrupted with a fiery outburst, her face turning red for some reason. "I-I know w-why you don't want to do that a-and I know that y-you wouldn't do that."

… "You… know why?"

_**Oh Gods, she has a Computer without Parent Control!**_

She nodded slowly. "I… I wanted to k-know how… _babies are really made_." Kunou's face exploded in a renewed blush, while my face went paler the more she spoke. "A-And I found this page i-in Wikipedia."

_**At least she went through a 'safe place' to search for this-**_

_IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT SHE DID SEARCH FOR- Oh my Gods, now I see why Mom was so angry with me when-_

I froze at the memory of the punishment I got after getting caught looking at some… _non-descript stuff_ when I was a kid. Curiosity, Sex-Ed Class and even more curiosity were the causes for that small trip down the hellhole and… I was actually glad it happened how it did because I did so responsibly.

While I ended up with _far too much _knowledge over the matter, I was able to see that some actions weren't to be underestimated and that there were some major responsibilities about those.

And even though I wanted to scold Kunou for doing something like this at her age… I did learn about this stuff when I was way younger than her.

I sighed tiredly and patted her head, crouching down as I decided to check a few things before dealing with this issue.

"_Did you delete your browser's history?_" She blinked at my whispered question and looked confused, causing me to sigh once more. "_I guess that we will have to do that before teaching you how to use Incognito._"

Her eyes widened and she nodded. "_N-Niichan, does that mean that you could-_"

I closed my eyes and hoped that this wasn't going to become my worst mistake in my entire life. "_I will wash your back and help you with your hair, but the rest has to be on you. Understood?"_

She glowed at that reply and nodded at my small request with glee.

Without wasting any time the Kitsune broke the embrace and took my hand into hers and started to walk towards the bathroom area. I felt some stares on me and I narrowed my eyes at everyone in the Living Room.

And…

Things went actually uneventful. Kunou didn't ask for help with anything else but washing her back and some extra help in washing and fixing her hair once we were done with the bath. It was a strange experience, but I… was actually surprised that nothing weird happened.

_**But as I dealt with those silly shenanigans, something much more important was unfolding within Tokyo...**_

* * *

Mio Naruse was unsure about what was going on before her eyes.

When her uncle Rizevim had decided to approach their small independent group to try and bring them to this newly-created Khaos Brigade, her father Wilbert had been hopeful in trying to bring some moderation at the ambitions this organization bought.

Sadly, the invitation proved to be nothing more than a trick from the man to try and absorb her father's powers. Before dying, the Demon Lord was quick to release his power and gift it to her. She didn't want to have such a burden… and yet the extreme situation had called for extreme measures.

With the death of her father, his clique assembled and started to make quick battles with this Khaos Brigade, losing day by day until the red-haired girl was forced to make a difficult choice. Picking her half-sister Maria with her, Mio knew from old intelligence that she had a cousin of sort that despised Rizevim. He was rumored to be strong enough to fend off powerful aggressors and was part of Grigori.

The organization had been helpful in those last few months, but the lack of proper intervention was one of the few things that caused the faction she was part of to lose more power against the Khaos Brigade.

Her enchanted sensor ability gave her two possible paths to follow, both sharing the same pattern but also… not. It had been a confusing situation but in the end, the eldest of the two siblings decided that Tokyo had to be the place where her cousin Vali was.

The trip was dangerous, the men under Rizevim giving strong chase through the various cities she had to go through before reaching the Japanese Capital and…

Sitting with her back on the bark of a tree and Maria crouching beside her to heal her wounds, her red eyes were wide open as the young man in front of them made quick work of the Devils sent to either capture or kill them.

He wasn't using magic, yet his speed and reaction time were impossibly high for him to be a normal human man. Precise punching and kicking led to an entire group of ten Devils to be utterly crushed by the merciless pace the boy was going with.

As the last member of the task force sent to attack them was dealt with, the human turned to stare at them, causing Maria to tense up at the sudden look of surprise directed at both of them.

"I… am not here to hurt you." He said with a calm tone, slowly approaching, his bulky body doing little to emphasize his genuine attempt.

The half-succubus looked ready to spring in action against this stranger when she saw a girl a little older than Mio approach the young man and _slap the back of his head._

Both girls' eyes went wide, expecting the strong man to react violently at that sudden action but…

"K-Kozue-chan?" He looked embarrassed as he cowered before the angry look of the young woman.

"Baki-kun, you shouldn't be this hasty. Look at how terrified those two are, you should have been a little calmer with your approach."

'Baki' lowered his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Kozue-chan. I was just… taken by the moment."

'Kozue' sighed in exasperation before giving a smile at the two half-sisters. "I'm sorry for my boyfriend's lack of tact. My name is Kazue Matsumoto and he is Baki Hanma, may I ask what's your name?"

The silver-haired girl glanced briefly at her older sister, Mio blinking before nodding as Maria relaxed and nodded. "M-My name is Maria Naruse a-and this is my sister Mio." She gave a brief bow after introducing herself and her sister. "T-Thank you for helping us."

"It's the right thing to do," Kozue replied with a small smile. "You two were attacked by the thugs here and Baki-kun wanted to help you two quickly."

Mio slowly tried to get up but the gravity of her wounds left her without much strength on herself. Baki's frowned and without hesitation pulled out the small Phoenix's Tears vial Hoitsu had given to him, offering it to the redhead.

The two siblings eyed the tiny bottle in shock. "T-That- Where did you get that?" Mio managed to ask.

"My current boss gave us some of those vials. Those should be able to quickly heal your wounds without hesitation and-" The Hanma tried to explain, only to be stopped by the downed girl.

"Y-Your boss- I-Is he perhaps Vali Lucifer?" There was some hope in her voice but then she deflated when the boy shook his head.

"His name is Hoitsu Sakakibara." While Mio was confused by this name, Maria's eyes went wide open.

"T-THE Hoitsu Sakakibara!?" She asked giddily, making her older sister frown at her sudden excitement.

Baki nodded and the half-succubus turned to stare at the red-haired girl. "He is an important member at Grigori and- He. Is. Here!"

"Do you know him?" Kozue asked a little surprise, getting a nod from the silver-haired girl.

"He is one of the coolest and strongest members of Grigori." Then she turned to look at her sister. "Do you remember the Fan Club I joined a few days ago?"

Mio took some time to think before answering, nodding. "Was it the one that sent you the full-body pillow with that man with the green-mask?"

Maria blushed a little more but nodded. "That is Hoitsu-san! I can't believe he is here and-" Her eyes widened even more. "He was also a teammate to Vali-san, so he should be able to contact him."

The redhead nodded, drinking the content of the vial and letting the liquid to its rightful effects. "T-Then we will have to go and talk to this 'Hoitsu-san'." She said with some determination, causing her younger sister to squeak happily.

Baki blinked confused at the scene, his girlfriend giggling as she noticed the young man's clueless expression over the matter. A fighter he might be, but never did he have to deal with a Fan Club and, Kozue prayed, he will never have to deal with one until she was with him.

* * *

**AN**

**Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha is now in the X-over Roster!**

**Mio and Maria Naruse will join the Initiative soon and… about the Fan Club.**

**Does anybody remember the former Queen of Diodora, Elea? Well, she didn't stay idle during her capture and **_**might have made some interesting work and…**_** a Fan Club for Hekishoku/Hoitsu was born!**

**Next time some real steal with the Ghoul hired for the Assassination attempt. It will be a surprise but not a big one as this character… isn't dead in this reality.**

**Lastly, a little explanation about Kunou's request:**** while some will say that I went a little over-board, I can assure you all that this is actually a genuine character development moment. Why? Kunou has only her mother as a family and it was customary for the two to be rather intimate towards each other, sharing baths was a thing to. So when she went to live with Hoitsu and she was denied the chance to have shared baths with him she felt also denied the chance of truly bonding with him as her Big Brother. Time has passed, their relationship is at its peak and this little event was the conclusion of their shared character development. It's a matter of trust to be only close siblings and to not go beyond that limit, the chance of being intimate without bleeding into something perverted. There will be a confirmation of this in the future but I just wanted to write this little explanation early as some might misunderstand the message I left in the chapter.**

**P.S. From this Monday I will resume my usual schedule. Yes, I didn't 'ditch' any stories, just felt overwhelmed by the insane amount of some. Still, some will remain in Hiatus until I get less workload on my back.**

**Current Hiatus Stories:**  
**Fate Last Heaven;**  
**Human King: Prepare to Die Edition;**  
**American Century;**  
**Angel of Death;**  
**Partypooper****;**  
**The Consultant;**

**Once the currently updated stories are updated, I will start with those in Hiatus.**

**Magical Trickster DxD will still be a daily installation. There will not be any changes with our usual schedule about this fanfic.**

_**Future milestone 1: 717 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**ChancePluto****: I don't think it would work… but I have a particular X-Over that is similar to the series. It will be a shocking surprise!**

**Veemaster****: Thank you! I've been told that I learned to do some good fluff and family development.**

**Fafnir1404****: It's possible, I just need to study the case with some tact.**

**Cade Mistral****: Thank you and the things I've to thanks for this good pacing are: A) Experience; B) RWBY. The first is actually the fact this isn't the first time I make a multiverse-like scenario and thus I'm adept at that; RWBY is actually based on a 'biased' opinion of mine, as I saw what happens when writers forget about character development. Everyone needs to be developed in their roles, they can't just be simply put on some places without any reasoning or purpose.**


	35. Family (but also Not)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 35****: Family (but also Not)**

* * *

_**Eons ago, Terra...**_

"You should be careful, this place isn't going to be kind to people like you."

The young woman, dressed in tattered robes stared wide-eyed at the gruesome results of the fight between the robed figure and the predators of this forest. Lying on the ground, her face red and tear-stricken as she shivered at the mess of blood and bones that once were her attackers.

The figure was giving her his back, showing little of his face, but she knew it was a male, a young man if she had to be precise. She blinked, a little courage making way through the endless shivers, her lips moving as words formed a simple question, the very one that was plaguing her mind.

"W-Who are you?"

There was silence, only the cool breeze and the shadows of the clouds above them breaking the illusion of total stillness of the world. His cape was fluttering ever so gently, his head turning to the sky as he sighed calmly, ignoring the horrible act he had committed.

"Today is a beautiful day, isn't it?" He asked, ignoring the woman's question, his tone so… carefree.

Red eyes narrowed on him, her mouth forming a brief pout at that cheeky deflection. "I-I asked you a question!"

Once more silence, but this one was far frailer and shorter.

"Indeed." He mused with a calm voice. "I was just trying to understand why your voice lulls so well with the nature around here."

A sudden compliment, something she had unexpected and that her vulnerable state was unable to resist. Her cheeks reddened, surprise building up within her core, her soul quivering just once at the genuine words meant to flatter her.

It reminded of her former husband, so kind and-

She stopped smiling, the memories of how things had devolved still fresh, the reasons for this escape burned in her brain as she remembered the delightful words her man reserved to her more beautiful lover.

A lover God said that was better than her in everything, that was submissive to any orders of the favorite of God.

A powerful and insulting jab at her that stung worse than anything she had tried on this world, as she was discarded as a tool born for the happiness of her husband.

Her tears were renewed almost too quickly as her head fell on her hands. She sobbed, uncaring of her surroundings, of the stench of death from the now-defunct animals, of the strange individual sitting nearby and-

There was a shadow over her. A blink, then two as the very cloaked man crouched in front of her, slowly and softly while bringing his hand over her face. His touch was sublime, she thought as she felt his thumb carefully removing the few tears-trails forming on her red face.

"Can… you do me a favor?"

His voice was kinder, she reckoned as her red eyes stared up to his very face, mesmerized by the features she could spot on him. Her heart paced quicker as her breathing felt secondary to the fixation she had developed over this youthful man's smile.

"Don't cry, pretty lady." He continued, his words going deep in her burning mind. "I will help you with whatever you need."

She blinked as she slowly accepted the helpful hand and was pulled up, standing right in front of the taller human-like figure. She could sense something different compared to Adam but… what could it be? A-And why she felt so compelled by this individual to fight back the sadness?

"I'm- God doesn't need me." The painful words left her aching throat. "I-I shouldn't be bothering you."

He hummed with a curious look, his eyes narrowing on her as he tried to understand what was going on. "Truly? I don't think He would deny someone like you His love, you are… innocent."

"Those are flattering words-" She didn't expect the sudden embrace, she didn't expect to have her red hair caressed so sweetly. She felt her heartbeat loudly, drumming madly at such compassion.

"It's the truth." He said so honestly. "I can see you are a simple but beautiful innocent creature."

Her red eyes were fixed on his warm brown eyes as she nodded absent-mindedly at his judgment.

"Let's see if we can get your wounds looked at, maybe also get you a fresh pair of clothes and..." His smile widened, a joyful development that left her breathless. "Please smile."

Lilith smiled happily, some tears forming once more at this encounter and… soon she was taken to safety, to be protected by the young Angel that decided to save her from the small pit of self-hatred she had fallen into.

God would end up questioning such a decision as Lilith was but a mere human, a sinful one to that. But the young man that was his middle son would only shrug at his words, saying that it was the right thing to do for her when he saw her in that agony.

Begrudgingly, the Lord allowed this situation and hoped his son knew what he was doing with this merciful but strange act.

Michael was confused too, but to Gabriel, it was something quite natural for her big brother.

After all, Helel was the kindest soul in Heaven to her eyes.

* * *

**Back to the Present, 23 July 2011…**

Of all the characters I could encounter in this wide and expanded world, I wasn't certainly expecting to see Mio and Maria Naruse.

When Baki and Kozue visited by late afternoon with those two girls on tow, I was puzzled by their presence in this specific world, knowing full well that their father couldn't be the ruler of Hell as it was in their original series.

It turns out he was part of a small, independent group of Demons and Devils that decided to live away from the Underworld's administration and for the last thousands of years they had been keen to keep amiable and neutral terms with the Maous and the Bael Clan.

Rizevim decided to try and steal the power held by his younger brother, ending up to cause a minor war between the Khaos Brigade and this little group of independent Underworld's dwellers while also getting further infamy and notice on them.

_**Ophis has to be quite furious about this.**_

_She surely is. She wouldn't certainly allow any risks to happen to her plans after Diodora's fiasco._

_**My Imouto better be scolding the bastard or I will have to teach her how to properly treat unruly minions.**_

_You seem to have taken an active role as her brother after just an encounter._

_**She isn't truly 'evil'. I would say she has a greedy wish of being alone but… I don't know, maybe I might be seeing things but…**_

_But what?_

_**She might give us some surprises and I'm not referring to Power-Ups.**_

_Not going to tell me?_

_**Nope~!**_

I sighed as I returned to the discussion with the two sisters.

"You seek to have a safe path to join up with Vali?" They both nodded at my question, Mio looking particularly calm and formal while Maria was smiling _weirdly_. Kunou and Koneko had gone for their rooms, saying that they had things to do before dinner. Akua and Kahlua had gone out of the apartment, the tanned girl was going to get the kitty she asked permission to get.

Kuroka was yawning as I glanced at her last time, she was doing something in one of the PCs of the Living Room and, from my understanding of what I could see in her monitor, it wasn't something lewd. She looked very serious and… she was scribbling words down on her small notebook.

"I will have to contact Azazel-san to see if he can spare someone to escort you to where he currently is. It will take some time, but until you both are here, nobody will dare to attack."

The redhead nodded with a small smile. "Thank you, Sakakibara-san. Hopefully, our presence will not be a burden to you-"

"It will not, Naruse-san. And please, address me as Hoitsu."

It was in that exact that the silver-haired girl gave a quick proper bowing my way. "Thank you, Hoitsu-sama!"

..._What was that?_

Even Mio looked confused and embarrassed by her younger sibling's behavior in that situation. "I-I will only if you address me as Mio, Hoitsu-san."

"Understood, Mio-san. If there is anything I can do, any request-" I replied and was about to also offer more help when-

"A-Actually there is something that I wish to ask and… it's about your aura." She interrupted, her tone darting from nervous to serious and I frowned at her comment.

"Aura? Could you please elaborate about this or-"

"My sister means that your Aura was similar to Vali-san's and-" Maria interjected, stopping a moment as her eyes widened in realization and she nodded. "F-Forgive me, Hoitsu-sama, I shouldn't be this much uppity but-" She stared up giving me a starry-eyed sight. "I-I can't hold my excitement in front of someone as cool as you are!"

_What the actual fuck?_

_**I have some suspicion but… let's see how this devolves before jumping to conclusions.**_

"You… are forgiven?" She seemed to glow at my half-assed answer and I glanced at the redhead, Mio giving me a clueless look, her eyes giving a confused look as she tried to understand what was going on with the half-succubus.

"Returning to this 'Aura situation', you mean that my energy pattern is similar to Vali?" I questioned again, this time the oldest of the two girls sighing and nodding.

"What I think is Vali-san's had some strange difference with yours, but you have a… 'clear' energy pattern."

I blinked, my face lightening up as I did realize what was going on. "I think what you perceived as 'impurity' was his Sacred Gear."

She frowned. "Sacred… Gear?" Mio asked with a quizzical look and I gave a surprised look.

"I… suppose you don't know what Sacred Gears are..." I nodded to myself, a brief sigh leaving my lips as I started to explain what the Longinus and the Sacred Gears. Both were shocked to learn about those objects, the red-haired girl asking several questions mid-explanation as I kindly replied at every single of those.

Then it was Maria's turn to ask and… she ended up asking something quite interesting.

"That stronger form you used against the Astaroth's heir, was it the result of a Sacred Gear?"

I shook my head. "I don't have a Sacred Gear, the thing I used was Senjutsu."

"The capacity to use natural energy?" Mio asked with a frown. "Excuse me if I say that I find difficult to hear someone as young as you are telling such a thing."

"Well, I guess it's rather difficult for a Human to be able to achieve that state without many years of training but… I'm unique." With those last words leaving my mouth, I triggered the Senjutsu form, eyes turning a glowing red and dark smoke forming around me.

I was about to reply with a snarky remark but stopped myself the moment I found myself staring in two glowing red orbs.

Mio was giving me a wide-eyed look, her eyes glowing and her hair was softly fluttering as dark smoke appeared by her sides. Maria was shocked and awed by the scene, there was some silence at this development but soon… the redhead remembered how to blink.

"I-I-" She stopped eyes still wide open looking down on her body and seeing the smoke. "W-What is going on?"

"It's Papa's energy!" The Half-succubus replied loudly. "I-I can recognize it- but didn't you say that you couldn't access it?"

"I-I shouldn't- and-"

A soft giggle came from behind the redhead, the girl tensing suddenly as two arms wrapped from behind her and… groped her chest.

_WHAT THE-_

_**I-I think we have a big problem!**_

"Ara Ara~ To think that this situation would happen- and to finally be able to get some freedom out of your body, my lovely Queen~." The molester slowly revealed her head, her red hair barely hiding her eyes, dark-sclera with red, dark horns atop her head as the girl turned out to be…

_Another Mio!?_

"What?!"

She giggled again. "I'm sowwy! I didn't mean to appear so menacing and… Hello there, lovely hunk."

"I- You are Mio's darkness- but-"

"Oh, you know what I am, now that is surprising and… I bet I know why-" She squeezed the poor girl's chest, causing her to gasp in surprise at the lewd action. "But I will have a nice chat with my lovely Mio-hime~!"

"Bitch, you will not!" A familiar voice exclaimed from behind me and I found a white-gloved hand resting on my shoulder.

Shiranai was glaring at the now wide-eyed female darkness stared right at him.

"W-Who are you?" Dark Mio asked, the formal-dressed man sighing.

"I'm the one that knocks and you are behaving wrongly with your host, lady." He replied, getting a scowl from the demonic redhead.

"And you think some references and a stern tone will make me back down?" She then smiled. "If you want, you can try to _convince_ me while we sit on some comfy bed and without clothes, you with your devilish charisma-AHK!"

Her perverted day-dreaming was ceased by a quick hit of cane from Shiranai.

"Begone… THOT!" The darkness yelped as she vanished in dark smoke, Mio's strange form snapped as the redhead returned to her normal self, wide-eyed and confused.

"W-What the f-frig was that!?" She exclaimed loudly and I blinked at Shiranai.

"Your sudden power-unlocking gave your darkness more autonomy within your soul. I would be careful to try and access that form without someone to keep her at bay and… she will not cause you any trouble until that happens-" He explained calmly only for the girl to yelp in surprise.

"S-She is talking in my head." She replied a little scared, face flushing red. "S-She is also using some f-foul words against you, Mr.-"

"Shiranai." He nodded her way as he introduced himself. "And sadly there isn't much to do about it. She will have the freedom of talking in your mind."

"B-But what is she?"

He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Your darkness, Mio Naruse. That side of yourself that you try to suppress with your best effort, the thoughts you don't wish to even think of, the perspective opposite to yours and..." He shrugged mid-explanation. "Your best friend if you manage to strike a proper deal with her."

"Y-You mean that I can't remove her?" She questioned a little desperate, making Shiranai sigh, his new cane tapping on the floor.

"She is part of you, Mio-san. 'Removing' her would permanently scar your soul in the best of scenarios, death is the most common of affairs." The man chastised quietly. "But I guess that it's normal to be afraid of this kind of development, so I will forgive you for addressing her that way."

"Why do you- Why do you even care for her?" The Naruse huffed angrily. "S-She is a pervert and-"

"She is a living being now, an organism that depends on your existence." He stressed one last time before returning by my side. "She will hate you, say horrible things and even go as far to be an annoyance, but never lowers yourself to that dark morality of 'removing her'. She is going to be part of you forever, maybe just a little chatty from now on but please_ do respect her_."

And with that, Shiranai disappeared in a cloud of smoke, a sigh echoing within my mind.

_You alright, fam?_

_**Just a little tired… **_

'**Get some rest, I will keep an eye on Hoitsu from now on.**'

_Get some napping, Shiranai._

_**Sigh, to have these friends around… heh.**_

As I returned my attention to the real world, I found myself noticing Mio's deflated expression. Tears were forming as she sniffled uncomfortably.

"H-He didn't mean to be that cruel- Shiranai is just very sensitive over-"

"N-No, he is right." The girl sniffled again, eyes closing up. "_She_ might sound mean- b-but I can feel like she is just… like I was." She finished as a trail of tears started to flood out.

"Mio-"

"M-Maria please, I know that n-nobody bullies me anymore a-about how weak I was but- but she doesn't have you, mom and d-dad." At remembering their deceased parents, the strong mask she had put on was slowly collapsing and the waterfalls intensified. I sighed, feeling suddenly saddened.

I stood up and walked up to the girl, she looked up as I started to pat her head. "You did a good job, Mio-san, and I think you both need some rest now more than ever." I offered her a hand. "I will lead you to your rooms."

The redhead blinked at the helping hand and… she smiled a little. "T-Thank you." Her hands slowly and softly grasped mine and the silver-haired half-succubus followed closely as I proceeded to show them their current rooms and-

"A-Actually, Hoitsu-san, I have a… small request." The eldest of the siblings said with a small sigh. "C-Can you hold from calling Azazel-san to tomorrow morning?"

I slowed down my pace just a little, glancing her way with a confused look. "May I ask why you need this… delay?"

She nodded. "I-I want to understand _her_, but I need help to do so." She started to explain, gulping a moment to create a minor pause. "I-I think I would like if it was Shiranai-san to tell me what to do."

I blinked. "Well, you will have to ask him personally. Right now he is resting… but I think he will accept that if you ask genuinely."

"B-But I was rude and-" She tried to rebuke but I was quicker than her.

"And he will be more than glad to help you up. He did say that he forgave you for that minor slight, so don't think about it."

She nodded, the smile returning once more.

The tour proceeded uneventfully or at least the weirdness was limited with just a few strange stares from Maria.

_I wonder what's up with her._

* * *

Deep in one of the abandoned warehouses in the Shibuya Ward, Valper Galilei sighed tiredly after putting away another wasted specimen of the tissue.

While Kokabiel had been quite smart to have him try and harvest Alucard's essence to advance his plans, the research and the labor he had to put forward to accomplish this task were painfully nerve-wracking.

It was far worse than anything he had ever done in the past, his hands working with the monstrous flesh of the abomination that struck Tokyo just a week ago, something that absorbed, assimilated the people, the animals, _the things_ all around it. An endless hunger that consumed the sanity of whatever it once was.

The various experiments yielded way too little results, his work slowed down by the lack of Shinso Vampire's blood as the tissue was dying, the preservation runes doing little to halt the decomposition of the essence.

It didn't certainly help his mind to stay calm by being near at man-eating monsters 'guarding' him around. These people were specifically the more dangerous elements of their species, rendering the Genocide Bishop as much as a safe pawn to Kokabiel but also a hostage to Aogiri Tree.

His work was also essential as he presented new ways to preserve the limited 'food reserves' the organization needed to survive, his runes increasing the conservation of most of it and further giving time to the 'diplomats' to buy more flesh from the Ghoul Restaurant and other Pro-Ghouls groups.

Just as the man placed down the tool he had been using until now, he froze at hearing a sudden noise break his relative silence. He turned around and saw a pool of blood spread by the entrance of the room, the lone door that was once guarded by a tall and looming figure with a white mask and red cloak was now left unprotected.

His eyes widened, cold dread spreading as he heard a loud thud in the operating table he had been working on. Turning around slowly he was greeted by a small being, pink hood and short dress and, bandages covering all around them, sitting right on that table and giving him a carefree glance.

A giggle left _her _lips, the man recognized it was a feminine one. "You sure are a scary scientist, Valper-san."

He gave a strong but uneasy expression at the intruder, hoping that this was a quick attack that could be dealt with if he was careful enough. "I've b-been told that already. Could I inquire who I'm talking to?"

"You _may_." She giggled again, this time there was a dangerous edge to it that caused the former member of the Church to take a step back. "But I don't think giving my name will make the difference today, can you guess why, Valper-_san_?"

He could _feel_ her smiling behind the bandages and the man gulped nervously. "Y-You will not risk angering Aogiri-Guh?"

The girl hadn't moved from her spot, she hadn't employed any Kagune to attack him and…

He could feel something painful stabbing him from behind. Valper tried to turn around and face his murderer but-

**Squelch!**

The tendril passed through him. A small mouth formed at the end of it as its teeth devoured part of his flesh that had stuck on it. His eyes widened, his jaws dropping as he felt his life fleeing from him.

"P-Please- I-I could be useful and-"

"Nope~!" The girl giggled, a sharp-like blade forming around over her arm and she took a quick swing over his head.

The effect was immediate, he felt flying as he was decapitated and… then nothing.

Moments of silence passed, the Genocide Bishop drawing his last breath as the mummy-like Ghoul sighed. "That was fairly disappointing." Eto pouted with some annoyance.

"He was protected by strong ghouls." A male voice interrupted her comment, the cloaked figure approaching calmly as the tendril connected to him retreated to his Kakuhou. "If you were expecting him to fight back, then you truly are delusional, niece of mine."

A scowl adorned her face. "You are a boring man, Noroi-jiisan."

"You shouldn't even be there, Eto. I told you that it was a solo mission-" The man failed to finish his speech as the young woman jumped off the operating table and started to walk towards the door.

"A _very_ boring man." She mused loudly. "I will be out to take the gas cans, you should start gathering the stuff here."

A calm sigh, his face was unperturbed as he did comply with the girl's _orders_. It took them just half an hour to get rid of the guards around the perimeter and inside the place and another half to get the researcher's data and set up the various gas can inside the building.

The fire will become a major part of that Evening News report, the causes and the victims left unknown as the authority couldn't get anything to properly identify the rests of those that had died in it.

A mysterious case that would hound the minds of the people living in the Shibuya Ward for a week or two, only to disappear as one of the many accidents happening in Tokyo.

* * *

**AN**

**There is already a name for Mio's dark side, it will be a EE from another 'important' anime character and no, I didn't do it for giggles. I've set some plans for Mio, which aren't about pairings but focus more on her character development.**

**Some have asked about Basara or any others from Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha, if they are going to appear in this story. My reply is: if I can fit them with the plot and current disposition of things.**

**Basara will sadly not appear for some good reasons:**  
**1)As many stated, he is one of the good harem protagonists and putting him here would remove that quality from him as he wouldn't have a reason to get closer to Maria and Mio (Excluding the fact they are all first-grade cousins and I draw a line to that.);**  
**2) He was part of the Hero Clan, which isn't the Hero Faction of Khaos Brigade, thus altering his story even more if he was integrated within the story;**

**3)If I put him in, I would have to put another roster of characters from the series because he is connected to them. I would have to deal with more people from a single series and I wish to actually keep the X-over to few people from a series each.**

**So before anyone say that 'You are doing this for pairings' purposes' then I will have to object and remind you that I can bring people that I know I can genuinely integrate with the plot, give them a sense to be there while not breaking the current balance I'm setting up.**

**P.S. Yes, Noroi is Alive!Noro. He didn't die because he hunted V with Kuzen and wasn't ambushed during an attack.**

**Lastly, one Follows to current Milestone, so I'm setting a new one:**

_**Future milestone 1: 717 Followers and Favorites.**_

_**Future milestone 2: 777 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Fuyuhara Sora****: It will not be Hoitsu wielding it, but he will pull that, yes. Also that blast thing you did was cool, good job!**

**Veemaster****: Thanks!**

**Ascandas****: Good questions that will be answered in good times.**

**Darkmaster1000000****: Shocked into silence or disappointment?**

**Vongolaseiza012****: The issue with Jin Toujou would be that he would be a Hero… loyal to the Church even though he has banged some Devils (Basara's mom) in the past.**

**RexeonNightingale****: HoitsuXKuroka and HoitsuXAkeno are confirmed. I can't say more~.**

**Flameclawsxx****: I just have an unhealthy amount of time early in the morning and I finish by lunch. It will get more inside by monday as I will return most of my schedule. :)**

**Scrumblenut****: Plot before hoes? XD**

**NexusPrime42****: Dunno.**


	36. Right and Wrong

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 36****: Right and Wrong**

* * *

The early morning was surprisingly tenser than I had expected.

While I was preparing some breakfast with the help of a very supporting Akua, I felt an odd sensation, as if something was happening right by the table.

Looking the way the others were sitting, I saw quick fragments of a rather big, explosive situation that was silently and slowly escalating in something quite… dangerous.

Mio had decided to stay there, accepting to first contact her cousin and then speak personally with Azazel.

The Governor-General was partially surprised by learning about Mio and Maria, the man reasoning that the attack on the 'Wilbert Faction' caused many to suspect that even the two girls had been killed in that first battle where the Demon Lord was eliminated.

There was some relief at this good news, but there was also some dread at learning about the situation with the redhead.

The Fallen Angel was quick to remind me how dangerous that form was, especially without proper guidance, and showed instant relief at learning that the girl wanted to stay here to learn how to make use of this new power.

Vali was more surprised than anything to learn about Mio and Maria, maybe also a little intrigued by the concept of having a family he had no reason to hunt down and kill. There were some allusions to possibly visiting to personally meet them, but nothing concrete or properly planned.

Still, it did offer the host of the Divine Dividing another reason to stick around Azazel's camp and not join Ophis' organization.

Once I had everything done by the kitchen, I was swiftly serving the various plates and cups to the people reunited all around.

Baki had taken a simple cup of coffee and an entire plate of chocolate cookies; Akua and Kahlua were curiously trying pancakes; The rest of the girls decided to settle with cups of chocolate milk, Mio being the most receptive as 'it was the first time she tried something so good and sweet'.

Blasphemous! Who would deprive someone of the chance of enjoying such a treat!

Maria was actually… very awkward about it. Her comments contained some heavy… double entendre.

Now that I was sitting down to enjoy my share of the breakfast, my eyes could see better what was going on within this little space.

Mio looked nervous, eyes hardly moving away from her hands and cup, some fidgeting happening as she tried to proceed with the breakfast without catching anyone's attention. Her younger sister was doing something similar… but also different.

Eyes fixed on me and a strange smile plastered on her face, the girl decided to try and chat with me. It was painfully awkward of course, the young Succubus being as sheltered as her older sibling but she wasn't shy from giving her 100% even with some topics that were less acceptable to discuss so early in the… ever.

And while she continued with her confident attempt, once in a while she would glance by my side and frown briefly at Kunou.

The Kitsune had her eyes locked onto the girl with long, silver hair, golden orbs narrowed in an annoyed and slightly infuriated manner.

From this very chit-chatting I managed to finally get an idea of what was her deal and what Shiranai was talking about when studying her strange behavior.

_**She is a fangirl! You're quite screwed**_**.**

I wanted to deny that this situation wasn't that bad… **but it was that bad.**

"By the way, Hoitsu-sama, can I ask you a favor?" The half-succubus ended up giving this question, causing me to blink suspiciously at the strange tone her grin had gained at the end of the query.

"Sure?" I replied unsure what she was trying to go with this line of questions and-

She stood up from her chair, showing a small black pen. "Can you sign me an autograph?"

I frowned, she slowly moved to reach closer to me and I nodded. "Okay..." I blinked, accepting the pen in my right hand and waiting for the object I had to sign the autograph-

Without hesitation, the girl's hands went to the upper portion of her dress and she started _to pull it down_. "I would like you to sign it in my bo-UH!?"

Just as she was about to flash me this closely, several dark-colored strings wrapped around the silver-haired succubus, making her 'eep' in surprise as she was completely tied up by those magical strings.

A familiar giggle came from behind her as a pair of cat ears revealed that the one responsible for this quick-reaction was none other but Kuroka. In her face there was a smile, a normal one… _a normal one._

"What are you doing?" She asked quickly, poking the girl's sides and causing her to reply quickly.

"What am I doing?" Maria reiterated the question.

"_What are you doing, nyah?_" The Nekoshou pressed on her for some straight answer.

"N-Nothing much."

"Lewding the Human?"

"Lewding the Human?" The half-Succubus parroted again.

"**Are nyah?!**" There was some edge in Kuroka's voice and the girl blinked, keeping quiet for a while and then… she opened her mouth.

"_Yes_."

"Then I will punish you!" The dark-haired young woman exclaimed loudly while picking up the tied up girl and walking out of the living room but not before stopping to smile our way. "I will make sure she will learn some 'manners', nyah~."

There were some loud stomping and cries for help from the youngest of the two half-Devil siblings, but one thing caught our collective attention. Mio sipped calmly from her cup, eyes closed and her head shaking in disappointment.

"It's not the… first time she tries something like this." She explained calmly, her eyes opening to show a defeated look. "Let's just say that she was banned from several events and concerts…"

* * *

_**Meanwhile, somewhere else…**_

This wasn't the place he had exactly expected to go to find his possible newest recruit.

Azazel sighed tiredly as he continued to slowly walk through the halls of the school. Salt Middle School was a normal school in Seasoning City if not for the presence of a particular individual studying there.

The Fallen Angel sighed as he took another turn at the corner of the hallway and…

**Thud**

"D-Damn." The man paused, eyes fixed on the fallen young student. Short blond hair, dark-blue eyes and… the wrong uniform for this school.

He stretched his hand, helping the youth up. "I'm sorry, should have been careful before turning."

The boy nodded. "It was nothing, si-" He froze the moment his eyes fell on the man's face, sudden realization taking over his face as shock filtered out. The blond took a step back. "W-What?"

"I suppose you can perceive part of my power." Azazel mused loudly enough for the boy to pick up. "You are one of those Espers."

There was a careful nod to confirm this guess and the Fallen Angel's smile widened. "Good, then I think you can be helpful about something."

Teruki Hanazawa was utterly terrified by the man before him, the pure raw power that he exuded was chaotic and irrational, something far too different from anything he had ever seen. But since the man wasn't trying to attack him… he will give him the benefit of the doubt.

"There is a young man that studies in this school, he should also be an Esper and-" He tried to formulate the question, but Teru interjected quickly.

"I'm sorry sir, but Mob-kun will not accept any wacky offer from people wanting to use his powers for some greedy mission." The student from the Black Vinegar Middle School replied quickly but also politely.

This sudden response caused Azazel to blink in surprise at the adamant tone but he pressed on. "Even though such 'greedy mission' is to protect and save humanity as a whole?"

The blond raised a confused eyebrow and the man nodded. "There is some group that wants the utter destruction of mankind by starting a war way bigger any of the World Wars."

"Espers?" The student asked far too quickly.

"Much worse," Azazel replied cryptically. "And that is why I need to speak with your friend, Shigeo Kageyama."

Just as Teru prepared to ask for some more about this 'group', footsteps started to approach from the hallway behind him. Both turned to look who was approaching and the young Esper's eyes widened in surprise as _he _was here.

A 15-years old student at the Salt Middle School, his dark-hair styled in a bowl-shaped style and with a neutral and blank expression as his most common look, Shigeo Kageyama, known to many individuals between friends and acquaintances as Mob, was calmly walking towards them, and standing by his side was the now-trustworthy Evil Spirit Dimple.

The green fire-like being was the first to notice the man's presence, a terrified expression forming on his face as he comically hid behind the frame of the young boy.

"I-I can't believe it! He is here!" The brunet frowned at the yells from the Spirit but continued to walk towards Teru and the stranger, eyes showing confusion and… caution.

"So I've finally found you, Kageyama-san." Azazel nodded while addressing this arrival.

Mob finally stopped, head tilting on the side. "Do I know you, sir?"

"You shouldn't for good reasons, but I do know who you are and what you are capable of, young man." His smile almost doubled at the blank-looking student. "I would like to know if you have some time to spare to listen to an interesting story."

Dimple peeked from Mob's shoulder with a confused look. "A-Azazel-sama, wh-what are you doing here of all places?"

The Fallen Angel turned his attention to the low-level spirit, causing it to retreat in his 'safe spot'. "I think I've seen you before..." The Governor-General of Grigori thought out-loud, before letting his eyes going wide in realization. "You are Pebble? No… Wait, I remember! You are Dimple, right?"

The green evil spirit nodded, some annoyance from the previous guess still etched in his face. "T-That is me, Azazel-sama."

Shigeo glanced at the spiritual presence with a frown. "You know him, Dimple?"

A nod and Dimple explained. "Azazel-sama is the leader of Grigori, an organization that holds Fallen Angels, Stray Devils, and powerful humans together. He is one of the most-known figures in Christian Mythology."

Teru frowned at this explanation about… mythology of all things, while Mob merely nodded at it.

"You mean to tell me that he is some Angel or-" The blond commented skeptically.

"I _was_ an Angel, young man." The man corrected the boy. "After sinning because I fell in love with a human woman, I lost my place in Heaven and I'm now confined to Earth."

"I'm sorry if I sound too blunt, but can you please explain why you are here, Azazel-san?" The Kageyama asked politely. "I understand that you are important, so may I ask you why did you search for me?"

The Fallen Angel nodded, a little surprised at the boy's humble and apologetic mannerism. "No, you are being fairly correct in asking about the reasons for my presence here and today, but I think this should be explained in a more… private setting."

The blond nodded suspiciously. "I can see that there might be some big reason for a 'Fallen Angel' to seek Mob, but I think some minor summary could be given here," He glanced around. "Since there is no one here to overhear."

"I guess I can say a few things… let's see..." The Governor-General turned to look at Dimple and nodded. "Ophis is amassing forces."

The green spirit… almost fainted at those words causing the man to groan. "Of course he would be terrified by that… hmmm…."

Another nod. "Someone _very dangerous_ is creating a group that wants to create another War similar to the Great War between Angels, Devils, and Grigori." Azazel explained. "This is why it was in the common interests of the Three Factions of Christianity to form a group to fight this **Khaos Brigade** before they can spark this new War."

"And that group… is made by Espers?" Teru asked again, getting a groan from the man.

"It's not made _just_ by Espers." Azazel continued. "Magicians, Devils, Demons and powerful humans."

"Powerful… humans?" Mob asked confused. "You mean like physically strong?"

The man nodded. "Indeed. One of the members is one of the strongest humans in the world."

The brunet's eyes glowed a little. "D-Do you think he would agree to teach me how to… get stronger?"

"It's everyone's interest that all members train and, if you feel the need to train yourself physically, they will help you with that." The Fallen Angel replied, gaining a small hopeful smile from the scrawny boy. "Now that I gave you some info about the situation, I hope you understand that for me to give you the rest of the story, we need to be in a good place where to have these private discussions."

"But what about-" The blond seemed ready to formulate another question but-

"Teru-kun, you shouldn't be asking for more where we are." Dimple interrupted, the spirit having recovered from that scare. "A-Azazel-sama is correct in requesting some privacy. If Ophis is truly creating an army out of the disgruntled elements of the Underworld, Earth, and Heaven, the situation is bigger than anything we have dealt with so far."

"Should I ask Master for some advice on the matter, Dimple?" Shigeo asked the spirit and before it could answer, Azazel replied instead.

"If by 'Master' you mean Arataka Reigen, I've already discussed this to him." As he said those words, Mob's eyes widened a little. "He was skeptical about the whole Mythology topic, but he was quite positive about this whole situation. If you want to contact him about the matter, I will give you any issue about it."

"B-But why contact a human?! Why risk the secrecy to-" Teruki paused just a moment, his shoulders sagging a little at the dull realization striking him. "You bribed him, didn't you?"

"He was fine with a small 'gift' to not reveal anything to anyone, but he was positively stern about refusing any other 'offers' to ease the recruitment of young Mob." The man mused loudly enough for the two boys to hear, the brunet nodding happily at the proof that his Master was a good man after all.

Without asking more questions the small group walked away from the main school building and… to the former club-room of the Telepathy Club, now left unoccupied after Tome Kurata had finished her studies at Salt Middle School.

* * *

**Mio Naruse POV – Two hours after Breakfast…**

After dressing up with some training gear that I had left back in my new room, I proceeded to reach for the second floor of the apartment. To think that the headquarters was so well-expanded! It was nice to know that Maria's and my new home was going to be big enough to house them all without making it feel cramped up. It paled compared to the mansion back home but-

Oh? Oh my-

This… was the place where they were supposed to train? It was so massive!

_**Aha! That's what she said!**_

_Bitch! And I don't need your commentary right now. We are going to fight-_

_**A very handsome piece of meat that I wouldn't mind to-**_

_E-Enough, you pervert! We need to focus- this is important because-_

_**We can both learn to cooperate and be friends, yadda yadda- Do you really think that this will work? That you can 'control' me or-**_

_I-If you didn't believe that when Shiranai-san said it, then why did you keep quiet?_

_**I-I was trying to elaborate the fact I was 'Begone-Thot'd so quickly and mercilessly. That fucking cane can make some nasty bumps too, I tell you.**_

I felt a little smile forming on my face at that little stuttering, knowing full-well that I did hit the right spot much to the darkness' chagrin.

"Are you ready, Mio-san?" I blinked as Hoitsu addressed me loudly, bringing me out from the brief moment I spaced out from the real world. I took a basic fighting stance and nodded.

"I-I'm ready!"

We were alone in that humongous room, the simple spar was meant to gauge my capacity to fight in stressful situations and receive constructive critics regarding it.

My mind was focused on the soon-to-begin fight, patterns of Gravity Magic flashing in my brain as-

'_**He started by removing your shirt-'**_

The plans on how to keep the man away from me were quickly-

'_**Eyes lingering around, hungrily as he-'**_

_S-Shut up!_

I had to make sure he kept away from closing the gap between me and him, my physical prowess being rather-

_**Shitty!**_

_We are going to lose…_

_**Darn right, we are!**_

"Okay then, here I come!" The young man roared as he charged towards me, fear suddenly gripping my heart and forcing me stuck still and unable to move-

_**I wonder if he would scoop us up for a French Kiss-**_

_N-No!_

Embarrassment trumped dread, my mind forcing me to away from the early rush, my face burning red in shame at the lewd commentary I was being subjected with.

_**Aw, and I wanted him to take us out 'without mercy'~!**_

_L-Look, can we agree to-_

_**Incoming!**_

_U-Uh!_

I had barely enough time to bring my arms up to block the kick reaching for me. A yelp left my lips as I was sent flying several meters away. I groaned at the insane strength behind the attack, my legs wobbly at trying to block such an immense-

'_**Power'.**_

_CAN YOU NOT!? It's not funny anymore!_

_**What are you talking about? This is fucking hilarious, my Queen.**_

"Mio-san!" I snapped my attention away from the darkness and right to Hoitsu, the young man was glaring at me. "Tell your darkness that she is a dull cliché!"

_**Bah! What a weak insult! Is this his attempt to anger me to-**_

_You are a cliché._

_**What? I'm not! I'm original and-**_

_We literally copied Hoitsu-san's form and you exist as a copy of-_

_**I'M NOT THE COPY OF THAT PRIM AND PROPER BASTARD!**_

_Sore?_

_**Incredibly so! But you know what? Fine, let's give them something to worry about.**_

_W-What are you talking about-_

My body burned with energy, I could feel my spirit heightened, my mind sharpened and my determination… redoubled.

_**By the way, my lovely queen, my name… my name is Nanika~!**_

"**Let's do this!**" She rushed forward, palms lifting forward as powerful gusts compressed by my Gravity Magic managed to restrain the young man from moving.

The human looked surprised but he was still quick enough to react as I jumped up to deliver a dropkick on him. His arms held against the hit, but my enchanted ears could feel the floor beneath cracking at the power I was generating.

It was so unrealistic but… _**so freaking good!**_

I shifted back on the ground and punched through his defense and right on his stomach. He was surprised but… he didn't budge. Smoke just like mine filling my vision momentarily as he glared at me with his two _endearing_ blazes of his.

My own eyes widened in glee, my heart skipping a beat or two as we started to exchange hit after hit, punches and kicks, Silver Linings shredded by Wind-based Spells and Gravity Barriers breached by Lightning-based Spells.

A flurry of emotions and attacks, a joyous carousel of ours that brought out from the deepest corner of my core a need, a _thirst _that needed to be satisfied.

The genuine happiness at seeing another punch pass through, this one slamming decisively on his face as he recoiled in sheer surprise. I almost squealed, I could feel my legs burning at the labor, but I knew it was almost over.

I spotted just a few strands of my hair, the red locks glowing an unholy light, similar to the very shade my eyes had. I grinned, I pressed forward as I tore through his defenses without hesitation, without mercy and then…

**Thud**

He collapsed as the second punch hitting his face got him unconscious, the impact leaving him unable to move, to think as I crouched down and pressed my chest onto him. My face slowly worming nearer to his own and… I smiled in delight at his sleepy, tired expression.

I breathed, my heartbeat going crazy at such sight and then… _my eyes widened._

His arms unconsciously wrapped around me, panic surging at the idea he had faked his unconsciousness, that he had tricked me in his arms and… nothing else happened. My dread subsided, confusion and curiosity replacing it in equal measure as I finally felt something grasping at my heart.

It wasn't the need to prove my love, it was my own tiredness fighting through my current state.

_**I- You need to seriously-**_

SHUT UP! YOU NEED TO-

_W-What is- What is going on!?_

HE- HE IS-

But my mind couldn't any longer compute, my thoughts shattering as I felt it flooding back to me. Gone was the ghost of the past, now only the memories of _Papa_, how he used to- to hug me like this and-

**Thud**

I felt consciousness fading, my mind restored to me as the frenzy that took me vanished without a trace.

I would have questioned this even more, asked for advice but-

My eyes closed, the fatigue finally depriving me of the chance to study the case and… _fall in the embrace of the kind young man under her._

_**Such is the tragedy of Old Love.**_

* * *

**AN**

**No, it wasn't Lilith 'possessing' Mio. What just happened was… primal love at work. What does this mean? Well, Mio is part of the 'Lilith' Branch of the Lucifer's family while Hoitsu is the poor lad with strong similarities with Lucifer himself.**

**There are some wrong theories being given to this situation and I think many will be shocked how things are going to unfold. It will be a masterful plot-twist I've never considering using in any of my stories and I bet everyone will be mind-blown by this.**

**Also, before anyone asks, I know that many are going to question the pacing of this Volume and I can assure you that I am going slow just now that I need some early characterization. I will not do a day-by-day kind of chapter-pacing, but I need to give substance to the newcomers. **

**Lastly, Mob-kun, Teru-kun and 'Mysterious candidate' joins the party! They will be the backbone, together with Baki, to fill the male's quota and, before anyone says that Mob is too strong as he is a multi-city destroyer level of strong, I will remind you that beings like Trihexa, Ophis and other planet-busting threats are going to appear in this story.**

**P.S. Maria is a pervy girl, nothing much to say about it… except that she meets her match in Kuroka… maybe even more now that I consider it a little bit… hmmm…**

_**Future milestone 1: 777 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Evyplayz121****: I'm sorry this is getting so much 'unknown' lore. I will try to be careful too much of it or make it impossible to read. Still, thank you for your kind words.**

**FallenHuntr****: As much as I can fit in (Or just what I find it logical to insert. I'm not going to go in a mad-spree about it.).**

**Darkmaster10000000****: It will be fun to explore the LuciferxLilith Pairing.**

**AbyssRhythme****: ****_That_**** Omake will happen!**

**GoTeam****: Mob and Teru are the first with Baki to join the organization, I've eight other dudes that will join the ranks but their recruitment will be a little after this last one.**

**Guest (Chapter 27-28)****: Thanks! And sadly no, I can't put the Riordan series because: 1) My knowledge of his books is limited and 2) I've another group in the USA that will appear and… they are****_ Part_**** of the alternative to the Riordan series.**

**DemonCat2Tailz:**** Nope-aroni! The only hint I can give from this guess is: It's incredibly far off but also very close to the real truth.**


	37. Rondo of Justice

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 3****7: ****Rondo of Justice**

* * *

_**Eons ago, Terra…**_

Lilith's eyes were fixed over the groups of flying armored Angels protecting the beautiful palace she was taken in. It's been a few days since she met Helel and things have changed a lot ever since that brief but eventful day.

No longer her dress was made by ragged clothes, but by fine and soft cloth. It was nice to the touch and she enjoyed the sense of 'clean' that it bestowed her every time she donned it.

Baths were also a new element in her routines, the warm and limpid water that she was granted to cleanse herself of sweat or any other filth staining her hair and body. It was such a nice development, a pleasant moment to spend alone and think about everything that was now around her.

Angels were odd creatures, blessed with glowing a gold halo floating right above their heads and a pair of pure-white wings.

But it wasn't only the bathroom that gave her the chance to reflect upon her new life, away from Earth.

The large balcony that gave to the entrance of this gorgeous home was a good spot to look over the world around her. The _new_ world, she corrected herself quickly.

This wasn't Earth, this was a completely new way of living that Lilith felt endeared to.

"Is there something wrong, Lils?"

Lilith almost jumped at the sudden question, turning around to find Helel looking calmly at her. There was curiosity as usual but also some minor concern which was… nice. It gave her a sense of self-worth that… she needed.

Sighing, the redhead pouted. "You scared me, Hel," Her arms crossed close to her chest as she walked right to stand in front of him. "You are a mean man."

He frowned, yet his lips twitched in amusement. "Oh? I'm mean, lovely?"

A blush spread on her cheeks, a groan leaving her mouth as she turned to look away as a brief but restrained chuckle fled the silver-haired young man. "Forgive me. I just can't help but find you-"

"'A-Adorable'. You h-have already said that more than enough." She interrupted with a small stutter and huff.

"I don't think there is 'enough' to that, sweetie." The Angel pressed smoothly.

The redhead groaned in her own hands. "Y-You are insufferable."

"I sure can be..." And here it was! The kind and warm smile that would always get her legs all wobbly and jelly-like. He would be to swoop her up in some embrace, keeping her close-

"Are you alright, Lils?" She huffed in his chest, softly headbutting it and closing her eyes before speaking up.

"Why do you have guards?" The question sounded so small because of the following silence, a moment of regret swelling in her heart as she prepared herself to handle an apology.

But then Helel replied, starting with a tired sigh. "Most of the good things that you can see and try in this house… are my inventions." We slowly left the balcony, back to the 'living room' as he gestured all around. He pointed at the chandeliers, the couches and the curious transparent 'windows'.

"I created commodities, objects that aren't truly needed by people, but that could give anyone the chance to find relief during their work-time." He continued to explain. "But by doing so, I created an image for myself."

"An… image?" Lilith asked, confused by how the word would fit in that particular predicament.

"By doing something good for everyone, I made myself appear as 'someone trustworthy and caring'." He said calmly. "And those that believe in this 'image' starts to worship me as someone beyond them, abstractedly better than any of them because I did something they didn't do."

"That's…" She blinked, trying to get the proper words out. "But aren't you… better than them?"

He shook his head. "I'm more creative but never I will be better than the other Angels." His voice sounded as if drawing near an unpleasant edge. "I'm but a mere being that seeks a normal and good life."

Lilith nodded, finding the idea of a quiet life to be a good one. "So… how does this connect to the guards?"

He sighed. "I was going to reach that." He hummed calmly. "While guards are usually to defend people from external threats, sometimes these men and women can be used… against internal threats."

The redhead frowned. "You?" She asked dumbfounded. "Why would God consider you a threat?"

"I'm 'Above many Angels', I'm loved and worshiped." He mused tiredly, the hug starting to get a little less… one-sided. She could feel the need to press a little more in the embrace and she was surprised at the stronger warmth she got from that. "I'm not a threat to God himself. I'm a threat to the image He has over Himself."

The young woman looked confused. "W-What? What do you mean-"

"Too early." He interrupted without hesitation. "I think you are not ready for the revelation."

She pouted but nodded, eyes closing once more as Helel accepted the deepening of that intimate moment.

It was that very moment that reminded her that… she was lucky to have him.

The hugs, the genuine concern and the idea he considered her his equal.

It was all something that left her warm inside, that made her fall more and more for this confusing, annoying but somewhat lovely Angel.

* * *

_**Nerima Ward, Anteiku 2nd floor...**_

_My head hurts…_

_**Next time you will follow my warnings when I say to get serious. We are lucky that Mio's punches weren't powerful enough to cause any brain-damage.**_

'**The little girl knows how to use Gravity Magic. I wonder if she can get to the point of reverting someone's gravity pull.**'

_**It could be done, technically speaking, but I think it's best to go slow with her, especially with that 'Berserk' button we discovered.**_

I sighed and nodded, my attention half-taken by the epic narration a certain green-haired girl was giving of the previous evening.

"-And that is how I single-handedly killed the bad guy, took his stuff and ended things with a bang!"

I nodded slowly as Eto finished her retelling of her 'solo' mission, the fact Yoshimura green-lighted the whole thing way before I could have given them the right address was both a good thing but also a very uneasy one.

With Valper gone and with his research safely taken by Grigori, Kokabiel's efforts were all rendered useless even if he managed to get Alucard's soul. Yet I was still surprised at how extensive the manager's spy-network was, proving how well-established in the capital the man was.

"A bang that was took most of the first parts of the news-networks of the city." I commented calmly, a little sigh at the big proud smile she had on her face. "Yet someone told me that you weren't alone in that warehouse."

She froze, twitching just once before scowling. "It was dad?"

I nodded and the girl groaned in her hands. "_Trying to appear cool and-_" She moved away from her palms. "Getting my own image screwed in the process."

I chuckled and Eto narrowed her on me. "That's not funny."

"Just because you are the butt of the joke." I teased once more. "Still, I don't understand why relying me this in your ro-_oom!_"

A giggle left her lips as she tackled me down on her bed. "Just feeling like it had to be a super-secret place, away from distractions and all." She sat on my chest, a smug smile adorning her face. "Why? Were you thinking about another reason?"

"I've been dealing with some women trying to 'conquer' me, forgive me if I have certain thoughts."

"True enough." She agreed but then sighed. "But I don't want a boyfriend, or better, I don't consider you a good candidate for a boyfriend."

_**Ouch!**_

I blinked. "Can I ask why do you think so?"

She shifted, her expression turning perplexed, then thoughtful. "It's… it's not that you would be a bad boyfriend. Heck, I think I would have wanted to date you… until you said things about your mini-harem."

"I don't have a-"

"It doesn't change the fact you have what? Two-Three girls giving chase? That sounds competition I wouldn't want to deal." The Ghoul shrugged. "Sorry dude, you aren't worth that effort."

_**Double Ouch! I think I felt that one myself.**_

I nodded. "I can live with that but then… why are you straddling onto my chest?"

"Assessing your strength and… capacity to serve as a..." She slowly slouched over me and stopped with her head snuggling on my chest, eyes half-closed with a silly smile present on her pretty face. "Cuddle- and Snuggle-buddy."

_**Woah, that is an… improvement? Or did you just get downgraded?**_

_I think it's a mix of the former and the latter…_

"So… why did your father _accept the fact I'm in your room_." The young Yoshimura huffed, possibly because she wanted to enjoy the hug rather than talking, but she still replied.

"Dad thinks I should 'fly away and build my own nest'. I mean, I am 23 years old but I don't see why hanging around my old fool of a dad counts as being unable to fly." The green-haired girl explained, ending by planting her face on my shirt. "Can't I just have… my own freedom to choose when to go?"

"I think he was referring… to have a family."

She sighed. "Creating a family is easy but… there isn't much potential with our generations. Not many can be considered individuals worth of spending the rest of my life with."

"Have you actually tried?" I asked, causing her to scoff and glare at me.

"You mean that I've to actually search around for someone? Can't it just be someone from places I know? What if I end up tricked and-"

I patted her head and she paused just a moment. "Y-You can't just silence me with that!"

"I just did." I blinked calmly, letting out a tired sigh. "You know, you should seriously contemplate finding a boyfriend."

"Rude and mean." She commented with some annoyance. "But I will have you know that I find my 'freedom' quite endearing compared to being hounded down by guys."

"You are exaggerating-"

"How much trouble did you have trying to shower nowadays?" Eto pressed on. "How many girls are usually waiting by its entrance?"

_**Kuroka and now even Maria are waiting there-**_

_You are not helping!_

_**Sorry? **_

"And how many guys asked you out yesterday?" I fired back, only to be dismayed by her smug look.

"Five, two of them being stalkers and the rest jocks trying to get the 'hot nerdy chick'."

"You sure are fine with two stalkers?"

"They are careful right now, but if they try anything I will end up with two fresh snacks-" I glared her way and she waved her hands in an appeasing way. "Okay, okay… I was just joking. But I will make sure they lose some teeth if they get handy."

I nodded slowly and the topic shifted to another interesting situation.

"Did you know that Ayato wanted to talk to you?" The girl mentioned. "Something that I can only describe as a 'pulling a Sasuke' on you."

"Try to kill me to prove he is strong?" I looked confused, why would he even want that?

"I mean..." She sighed. "There are just so many references with those three words but… he wants you to train him."

"So he can… kill me?" I asked once more.

"Probably." The young Yoshimura replied honestly. "He is at that stage of his growth where being 'edgy' is fine."

"That… sucks?" I was unsure of what to do about it and the girl pressed her face even harder on the shirt.

"_He doesn't like his Oneesama's hugs anymore._" Eto commented with a whiny voice. "_Why can't he just let if happen_?"

And while the girl lightly kicked my shins with her moving feet, I groaned inwardly as I now realized something very annoying.

While I was certain the more important things were dealt with, I was being currently restrained by the girl lying above my chest.

I was immobilized and… turned on an unwilling shoulder to cry to for Eto.

_**She might not be insane, but she sure does know how to make people do what she wants.**_

Thus I spent two more hours before I was finally freed by a tired Eto and having to explain to the manager that nothing had happened proved to be a difficult task, especially when he had such a happy stare at the prospect of having settled his daughter with someone.

_This sure was going to cause some problems in the future..._

* * *

_**Meanwhile, Florence, Italy…**_

Darkness has long fallen over the city, the inhabitants having safely returned back to their homes and enjoying the evening together. The few ones that had yet to go back were either working late shifts or completing unique businesses.

It seemed a normal day in the Tuscan province, one that a certain young man would have loved to enjoy either napping or training.

Sadly there was a group planning a 'surprise' for him.

Mathias Belmont was one of the last members of the ancient family that long devoted itself in dealing with monsters and anything even remotely connected to Dracula. It's been 13 years since the Vampiric Count tried to return to life, but the efforts of his uncle Julius Belmont proved to be crucial in permanently banishing the hellish creature from the world of the living.

And while there had been close to no threats from the monster-kind ailing from Transylvania, some strange accidents happened: People disappearing and dying in mysterious circumstances, thieves trying to get the prized Morning Star from the Holy Archives and… curious sights during the daylight.

The young heir of the Belmont Clan was trained in the usage of blessed battle-whips, swords and basic magic, something that would have mattered in most of the worst cases that could have happened.

Sadly, his luck proved to be much more terrible than expected when the attack started.

The gates exploded without notice, the fire consuming the two guards by the entrance as several monsters of various kind rushed inside the building. His father was quick to gather his own weapons and Mathias himself joined the battle at some point but… it was all for naught.

The powerful punch sent him careening to the wall behind me, the impact cracking the old style decorations. The boy fell on the ground, blood hindering the sight from his left eye but… he could see **him** pretty well in the distance.

The silver-haired tall man took hold of his father's neck lifting off the ground. Even the old Belmont looked worse to wear, having taken the brunt of most of the attack on himself.

"You could have just accepted our kind offers and avoided this situations, Eugenius Belmont. It was just a silly weapon-" The leader of this monsters stated, but he stopped the moment bloodied spit splatted on his face, forcing him to bring his free hand to clean the filth.

"W-We shall never surrender to any of yo-GUH!" The spit-stained hand slashed at the man's neck, cutting open the throat and causing a large amount of blood to spurt out like a fountain.

Mathias tried to stand up, his voice fading at the horrifying scene. Face paling, his hands closed in fists as his knuckles turned white.

T-That was unforgivable.

A shriek broke him out from his anger-filled vision, his eyes shifting to the door nearby the entrance as a body fell on the ground, sporting a big wound in _her chest_. His mother was staring at him, motionless as life rushed out of her.

W-What was going on!

He was crying, kneeling on the ground as the tall man, a vampire for sure, picked the Morning Star whip out of his dead father's hold.

"And with that we will be moving on the next objective of our long night shift." He chuckled as he took a brief glanced of the weapon. "To think I will need _you_ of all weapons. What a drag."

Strength slowly returned to him, the monsters having long-deserted the large entrance lounge and leaving him with the head of the attackers.

He was distracted, Mathias had to strike now!

His own whip, a basic leather one that has been blessed with some sacraments, was already soaring through the air and reaching for… the Morning Star.

Dark smoke started to cover the figure, soon spreading through his whip and reaching for him.

Darkness claimed him just momentarily as he _shifted_ away from his house, the young Belmont looked up at the full moon above him and he suddenly noticed that he was free-falling towards some unknown forest.

His whip returned back with the Morning Star and the brief relief at reacquiring the relic was squashed the moment he spotted some_body_ rushing towards him.

Panic rose within his chest, breathing labored as he seemed ready to catch him any seconds now. A barrier formed near the man, causing him to unexpectedly slam at it and make it groan at the impact.

The magical shield cracked severely before it all came down in mere moments, like a building being demolished.

Seeing the silver-haired bastard recoil at the attack, Mathias' shifted his attention back to the fact he was still falling to his death.

Panicking, the boy channeled what was left of his magical reserves to a strong feather-fall spell and… **Thud**

…

…

He… he was alive. A sigh left his lips and the young Belmont rolled away from the bush he had fallen into. A soft groan later and he found himself looking at his current equipment.

His simple whip had broken down, the powerful teleportation spell having possibly broken its resilience seals and rendered it unable to deal with the snap of dragging the heavier object.

Without hesitation, the young man picked from his pouch a small vial, the Phoenix's Tears his father had gifted him for his birthday two years earlier.

It was a gift that he kept close to him in case of emergencies… like now.

The effects were immediate, just as he has read about and he felt like it was time to turn his attention to a more important, pressing matter. Where was he?

He looked around and… he saw it. It was a tall and massive building in the close distance. A castle.

The silver-haired man that had given chase to him started to fly towards it and Mathias knew… that this didn't bode well for him.

Wounds healed, mind scarred and soul determined, the newest wielder of the Morning Star started to make way towards the immense building, ready to face the killer of his parents once more.

_But as he made his way towards the castle, he could feel like he was being watched. A pair of red eyes blinked as the feminine being which those belonged to continued to gaze curiously at the strangers approaching the castle, the boy… seeming the most interesting of the two._

* * *

**AN**

**STAGE 1!**

**The story moves forward somewhere far away from Tokyo, the Khaos Brigade making some quick strikes and attempting to score a victory once for all. Rizevim attacked the Belmont, leaving but just the heir to the family.**

**Quick reminder for those that don't know the series: While in the original game 'Vampire Killer' and 'Morning Star' were one and the same, since the publication of the Netflix series the two weapons are two different things.**

**Vampire Killer is in the hands of Julius, one of the main characters in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.**

**Did it felt a little rushed as a chapter? Let's just say that I wasted some time in other stuff. Nothing worrying, but I think I caught the flu. **_**Drat!**_

**Why there was no update yesterday? I was busy with a RL project, wasn't near PC until late at night.  
**

**Lastly no, Mathias isn't named after the MC from Aegean Holidays but after Mathias Conqvist, the original name of Dracula in the Castlevania Series.**

**Note for the FF readers: I will be posting a Characters Masterlist in the profile bio's so, if you need to have somewhere to check the current size of the Omega Initiative, you will have a place to confirm stuff.**

_**Future milestone 1: 777 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Fafnir1404****: Quick sin, I never read Worm.**

**The Soldier of No Sorrow****: She is a candidate.**

**Fuyuhara Sora****: I can get it to be interesting, especially since there is a Sequel planned in case I can't get everything sorted out.**

**CrocoerGinex01****: Nope~!**

**RoachVit****: There will be some interesting enemies very soon. And I mean interesting ones as if 'Incredibly Unfair' ones.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: It will be the first war of the Coalition against Mini-Thot.**

**Dragonfighter11****: He is purposely weak, but he will get stronger soon.**

**Levolutioner****: Yep! And you are the only one that spotted in (and reported it)!**


	38. Warpath

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 38****: Warpath**

* * *

The eerie silence that preceded his steps towards the castle was starting to get unnerving.

The torches back at the gates were still burning, illuminating the path in front of the young Belmont as he stepped over thought the broken steel.

A myriad of monsters wandering around the massive courtyard that preceded the proper entrance of the building, their attention mostly taken by the carcasses of their former enemies. Guards, the piece of dark-blue armor shattered by the strength and numbers of the beasts.

The moment Mathias noticed the hellspawns festering on the corpses, he took a quick battle stance as some of the weaker creatures rushed towards him.

The youth saw their wings flapping madly, a devilish grin in their ugly mugs. Imps, he remembered his uncle telling him about those creatures when he fought in the Demon Castle War a decade or so ago.

Those tiny beasts were dangerous with their intense attacking rate and their attitude of picking opponents in large quantities.

The Morning Star cracked as its spiked end slammed on the Imp leading the big charge, the holy weapon rejecting the demonic flesh and creating a magical explosion that devoured a good amount of the group.

The rest was pushed several feet away by the blast, horror-filled glances turned at the lone human advancing towards them. Just as Uncle Julius told him, the monsters were keen to run away when a threat far bigger than they could deal with presented before them.

A sigh left his lips as he rushed forward, knowing that trying to take on the horde right now was going to be a draining and difficult task, especially with the lack of essential tools that would ease his slaying job.

The entire area has been taken over by the monsters and the indoors looked safer to him, thus he pushed part of his magical energy through his legs, the sudden boost helping him to gain a good pace to overcome the other beasts attacking him. There were… so many of them, few he could recognize at first sight while a small part actually eluding his mind.

Harpies tried to catch up with their stronger wings, winged skeletons following their example but none was able to reach the quick young man. He jumped over a crushed bench and he was about to reach for the broken glass doors when-

His ears twitched as he picked up the feral roar by his side, causing him to instinctively dodge the claws of the monster that had managed to catch up to him. The humanoid creature had feline features, its uniform fur was a dark yellow.

A blink to its appearance was enough to recognize the growling were-creature.

Werejaguars are beings much stronger and faster than Werewolves, their prowess in a fight compared to their close family which they had a deep rivalry to, the Weretigers.

It jumped, exploiting the broken momentum to try and hit the recoiling Belmont. The boy rolled away once more, forced to make a hasty retreat away from the line of monsters still giving pursuit.

The tip of the holy whip was sent flying once more, the Werejaguar now considered the most dangerous threat at the moment.

The beast dodged the attack with its inhuman reflexes but the whip still slammed on the hide of a gargoyle flying behind it. The resulting explosion sent the surprised werebeast flying towards the near wall, giving Mathias the time he needed to resume his rush toward the entrance.

This time he did it, jumping forward as he turned to once more make use of the Morning Star.

The Werejaguar roared, ready to fight him in close-quarters but it stopped, eyes going wide as he found itself staring at the ball-tip of the powerful weapon. The resulting blast instantly obliterated the monster while also forcing the entire structure and arcs of the entrance to collapse, barring the entrance to anyone outside…

"T-That was close." His magical reserves were dwindling and Mathias knew that he needed some breathing time to recover from the recent ordeal. His eyes turned to see if there was any dangerous issues within the room, the large lounge having been desecrated by the attacking force, the corpses of several other knights lying there lifeless.

He approached one of the bodies and grouched to pick the steel sword in the individual's hands when he saw his face. The man was pale, paler than a normal human being… and his fangs and red, dead eyes.

_T-This is a vampire!_

Or was.

Mathias tripped and fell on his back as he continued to stare at the deceased creature with a shocked and confused look.

W-weren't the monsters commanded by the vampires? Wh-Why would they-

The Belmont stopped, eyes snapping away from the corpse at the sound of footsteps approaching by the twin staircase.

Rushing down one of these, the young man stared at the blonde rushing towards him. Red-eyes wide open, fangs visible and a fear-stricken expression. The young woman was wearing some ruined, red-black dress, and… she was _running towards him_.

He prepared for a fight but he soon noticed that she wasn't aiming for him but…

The vampire passed him and then turned around, straddling behind him and pressing her head over his shirt. _She started to whimper and cower._

He glanced back, spotting only the trembling top of her hair, his confusion increasing immensely.

More footsteps, this time the individual decided to jump from the small balcony atop the staircases.

He was wearing pure-white formal clothes, crouching to reduce the fall damage and then he stood up. A youthful face, akin to the woman behind the human, but in those eyes instead of panic was cold resolution and his lips were fixed in an emotionless thin line.

The male vampire blinked. "A stranger managing to reach this place?" He mused loudly and cockily, his tone just resembling those only nobles were keen to show. "I'm impressed that a human was able to run through the monsters ruining our courtyard, but I don't think it's the proper time to play with a-" He stopped without notice, eyes widening as the arrogant man spotted the glimmering whips the young human was holding in one hand.

His stare snapped up and back to the boy's face. "A Belmont!? What are you doing here, mongrel?"

Mathias was about to reply with the same vehemency when he noticed the girl's hold tightening, her shivering increasing. _What was going on with her?_

"What have you done to her?"

The blond man snarled at the question and advanced slowly, a blade appearing by his right hand.

"You seriously think that I will let you go after what your family has caused to our glorious ancestor? And what about her, she is _my dearest sister_."

Yet the tone sounded off about the way he was addressing her, the human's eyes narrowing on the approaching monster as he readied himself for the soon-to-begin fight. "Then I will have to disappoint you twice, bastard. I will not let you go without having gotten any answers about what is going on here."

The vampire jumped and descended upon the Belmont, his saber cutting through the air and ready to pierce the flesh of the monster slayer. Gritting his teeth, Mathias glanced back and sighed. "Duck!"

The girl tensed at his loud order but complied and ducked as the boy used what magical power he managed to recover until now to use a blinding spell. Just as planned, the male vampire snarled at the sudden light, eyes closing as he still dashed forward.

The blond's swing missed… and the Belmont's newly-acquired sword cut forward, creating a large wound in the vampire's chest. The monster slammed on the floor nearby them, trembling as he started to get up.

"A-A coward m-move." The man spat blood, hatred exuding from his eyes. "I-I will make you pay, you cur!" He rushed once more and this time Mathias didn't have anything to use against him. His hands was burning and his entire body was aching because of the magical exhaustion.

_Don't stop._

The stern voice resonated within his soul and the Belmont tightened his hold over the bloodied sword and-

The vampire's eyes widened, his own sword pushed away as the stained turned its course towards his head and silently decapitated him. Terror filling his stare, the headless body crashed instantly down while the head rolled away as both Mathias and the girl fell on the ground.

Tired from the intense fighting he was forced to face, the young human closed his eyes, tiredness overwriting his worries as he came falling down face-first on the floor.

Valerie gasped at the situation and was suddenly by the stranger's side.

Her brother's corpse forgotten momentarily as her fear from the obsessed sibling was replaced by simple worry for the one that protected her. She turned him around and grimaced at how weak he looked right now.

Should she do something to help? Maybe giving him some of her blood- No, even her father told her that it wasn't something good to do to humans. But what she could do?

The young vampire wanted to find help around, maybe one of the guards would help her and knew what to do- but what if they try to kill the human, he was after all a possible threat to them.

The name Belmont resonated something in her memory, but everything was just so fuzzy… it's been a while since she had to think so much. Her brain was hurting… she stopped thinking too much about it and turned her attention once more to the unconscious protector.

But just as she returned to think how she was supposed to help him, her heightened ears caught something or _someone_ approaching.

She shifted around and saw someone approaching by the… collapsed entrance? Eyes widening in surprise as the dark-haired man wearing some formal clothes approached the duo and stopped mere steps away. He looked curious, partly confused but incredibly intrigued by the boy behind her.

"Now isn't that a… curious sight?" He mused softly, his tone directed at the two. "A Tepes defending a Belmont."

The man didn't show any aggressive behavior, yet Valerie kept staring at him attentively. There was something about him that struck familiar to her and she felt an impressive amount of power in him.

"While I am genuinely _warmed_ by such a scene, I need you to let me take care of him. I can help him-"

He tried to approach, causing the young woman to tense up and snarl at him.

The strange man blinked and sighed. "I guess I will have to let go of some restrains to avoid to waste time."

Red eyes were suddenly meet with golden ones and a quick suggestion forced her to not only back down but to… feel sleepy. She wobbled confused, feeling her whole mind stolen in that exact instant and…

**Thud**

Moments of silence passed, the dark-haired figure crouching to pick both teens up in his arms. "To think that this maddening and yet hopeful event would happen now of all times possible." He shrugged. "I guess I will have take care of both of you before dealing with this new threat..."

And with those words, Alucard, son of the Prince of the Darkness Dracula, proceeded to bring the two youths away from harm's way.

* * *

_**Tokyo, Omega Initiative's Headquarters…**_

I groaned as I lied on my bed, head resting on the pillow. "What do you mean we are not going?"

"'_I mean' that you will __**not**__ try to involve yourself, directly and __**indirectly**__ about this situation._" Azazel replied tiredly. "_I allowed that you decided to take out Valper carefully and cleanly, with the perspective that you weren't going to dip your hands in any other affairs out of your jurisdiction. Don't make me come over Tokyo to spank you, brat!"_

I sighed tiredly and nodded. "Fine, but can you at least tell me _why_ I can't come with you and help?"

"_The Tepes Faction is a very difficult group, I did have to use some favors I have with the Vladi and the Manthar families to join in their rescue operations. If I was to bring a human with me they wouldn't have accepted it and..._" He stopped to speak just a moment, causing me to frown at the ceiling.

"And what?"

"_Rivezim Lucifer and Euclid Lucifuge were seen leading the assault force._" He dropped, my eyes widening in surprise.

"Then I-"

"_**Will**__ stay back to the headquarters, integrate the three new members to your group and avoid causing any spank-worthy issues._" Another sigh and he continued. "_I swear, there are times I prefer Vali's indifference to things like this-_"

"I bet he will flip to learn his grandfather is trying to pull something-"

"_And __**he will not learn about it. **__I understand the need to intervene because of the whole Lucifer stuff but don't make it your life-goal. Enjoy some rest and please get the third brat a little less annoying to deal with._"

"...Roger that." I nodded absently. "By the way, how is the Kokabiel situation?"

"_I think he know something is off about Valper's death, but he still needs to punish his 'allies'. Did you read the most recent news?_"

I blinked. "You mean the ones literally saying 'Multiple cloaked Ghouls found dead by the Shibuya Ward'? The CCG is going insane with the lack of any clues that could give anything about the one that is causing this mess." I described.

"_Some Fallen Angels under his command have been assigned to long shifts over Tokyo. I wouldn't be surprised if they are responsible for the 'purge' of Aogiri Tree but I think this event will force Kokabiel to speed-up his plans._"

"Why so?" I asked, surprised by his shift of tone.

"_It would be dumb of me if I didn't take notice of strange deaths in Tokyo when one of the Cadres is operating in the city._"

"I guess only time will tell..."

"_Indeed, have fun with your new kids, brat."_

The call ended and I sighed at the phone in my hand before returning it back to my pants' pocket.

_**We need to train.**_

I nodded in agreement, silently gazing at the ceiling as I thought what could be best to try and develop. I could return to my roots and develop Light-type magic… but it was particularly weak and difficult to access to, maybe if I called Baraqiel and asked for new books? It could be a good thing.

_**Remember to not neglect your Dark-type spells. With the Senjutsu mode you should be able to use them and… there is also something else you need to try.**_

_..That is? And please, don't drag this too much._

'**Seeing how your Senjutsu mode came to be quite stable and without any bad aftereffects, we've been thinking of… trying a 'Triple Synchronization.**'

_You mean… adding your power to the Senjutsu mode?_

_**Correct! It will be twice as stronger and make use of both yours and Apophis' magical reserves to keep going and make use of Shadow-type spells.**_

'**I think my reserves are finally filled and I know I can make use of them if you allow it through the seals**.'

_I… guess we could try that one out._

My walk to reach the training floor was a brief one. There were few people training, the first two that I saw were Baki and… Mob.

Shigeo Kageyama was someone I didn't think that would be in this universe… because of the events he has been part of. Fighting strong Spirits and Espers, dealing with Mogami and Toichiro Suzuki… and then becoming the pariah after the final arc of the Manga.

A tragic individual that was currently listening to the older male looking at him doing exercises.

"You need to aim higher, Shigeo-kun. Your determination is on point but you still aren't there yet physically."

The boy nodded, sweating and trembling a little but still smiling through the labor. "U-Understood, Baki-sensei."

From the sides another boy the same age of Mob continued to stare at the scene in silence. Orange-haired, Esper Sho Suzuki looked rather bored by the sight but seemed to be quite interested by the individual that was responsible for taking down his father as he suffered through the older and bulkier male's regiment.

The young Hanma nodded happily at that reply and merely glanced at me to greet me.

Kunou and Koneko were playing somewhere while having Teru keeping company with them, Kuroka was keeping an eye over Mio and, mostly, Maria, while the two vampire siblings were going for a… shopping spree. While Kahlua had been delighted by the tiny and adorable Bombay cat, I was starting to deal with the issues that such a playful kitty would cause.

Both Nekoshous were incredibly annoyed by being nearby the cute furball, going so far to literally avoid being in the same room as it. The kitty was incredibly eager to take down things off the table, scratching the table's legs and _marking _its territory in everyone's bed.

Obviously a visit to the vet but it wasn't going to happen until few weeks from now, so we would all have to deal with that until then.

I reached a particularly far spot of the large room and sat down in meditation.

_So, how does this exactly works?_

_**Go directly in the Senjutsu Mode, we will take the work from there.**_

I nodded and closed my eyes as I felt the energy flow through my magical coils.

_**Good… now, let's see…**_

I waited patiently for something to happen and… I felt my entire body tensing up as the energy started to build faster, much more faster than usual. I blinked my eyes open and I saw something form around my body. Something dark but transparent and moments later, I found myself inside something that looked like an armor.

_First question, is this by any chance similar to a dragon-like armor?_

_**Nope! First thing we wanted to avoid was giving that kind of impressions. I think there are 'enough' Dragon-powered Sacred Gears nowadays and- we look like something even cooler!**_

'**I am- I mean,**_** we dragons**_** are cool.**'

_**But not as cool as a Reaper!**_

_...Say what?!_

A little image was filtered to my mind and I blinked at what I was seeing. It was a black-white armor with a skull-like mask covering my head. I noticed only now that I was holding _a fucking scythe_ made of shadows in my left hand.

_That is…_

_**Cool? Amazing? Shocking or-**_

I blinked just once and I found myself back in my normal form, falling on my knees.

_Terribly draining._

_**Y-Yeah, about that-**_

'**While we can help in forming this form and keep it going, your body is not ready for it just yet. You need to train and manage to get the habit of using it**.'

_You could have… told me that a little earlier._

_**Sorry but I was… giddy. This is a super-cool bust and-**_

_How am I supposed to train with it if I can't hold it up for more than a few seconds?_

_**That is actually simple. We are going to learn another technique that will help us with that.**_

_...And that… is?_

_**Oh, this one you will actually like.**_

I was skeptical that this was going to be a let-down training session but… I found myself eating those words the moment I stared at the red aura covering my body and giving new energy to my muscle.

The **Kaioken **works. The energy input was impressive, I could feel a similar drain to the new armored form but this time I could manage it without having to drop it instantly. It was a nice thing to know that broadened the opportunities to learn beyond what was currently available to this world.

Especially with techniques that could easily turn the tide in my favor, like the Kaioken itself, the Kamehameha and…

The fusion dance.

* * *

**AN**

**Recovering a little from the flu, tomorrow I will be top-shape and… it's not over yet!**

* * *

**Omake 3: Love is a powerful instrument.**

* * *

If someone asked one Asia Argento how she managed to deal with her usual day, the ever-so-cheerful blonde would reply smiling with only one word. "Love."

To many this answer would appear as something of an abstract response rather than a genuine thing, mostly because the girl was quite devoted to God and the spiritual world.

But to keen observer, this word would explain much of what happens during her everyday.

Early in the morning, the lovely girl would grace the world with a smile as she would tip-toe out of the warm bed of her room and reach for the big kitchen of the house she was currently tending off with her boyfriend. It was a nice experience, one that her creative imagination envisioned as how things would end up to be with Issei.

A lovely home for a lovely couple.

The brunet would be getting just an hour or two of extra sleep, just so he would be able to help her along her day when she needed to.

With breakfast served, consumed and then completed by cleaning the dishes, the two would take turns to use the bathroom, with Asia being always the first to enter and quickly do her own things.

Issei would be swift too in that room and then, all proper and dressed, would be kind enough to hold the blonde's schoolbag until they reached Kuoh Academy. From there their path diverged for a good amount of time, being in two different school years and classes.

Yet the brief pauses in-between lessons would be taken as an opportunity by the boy to visit the usually lonely girl, to bring some food or chat about the things they liked, like cartoons and TV series.

There were also times when smug jocks would try and approach the former nun, badmouthing her boyfriend and try to get too close to her. _Issei would be there to quickly deal with them_.

It's been few days now that the newest Golden Rule has been accepted by the entire school: If someone tries to hurt the kind blonde, they would be in for a world of pain with the formerly frail Hyoudou.

This very rule was respected by everyone in the school, students, teachers and even perverts. This last category had adopted an effective but acceptable attitude for Issei about this very situation: They wouldn't dare peep in the changing room of girls when Asia was around or making use of it.

The helpfulness stretched even during her Club's work as the brunet would be quite keen to offer some support and help when needed during the making of some spectacles, even going so far to offer himself as a replacement for a sick member of the club.

With the school day concluded, the two would make their way back to Hoitsu's currently vacant house and prepare themselves to deal with the homework for the following day.

At this point the poor Issei would be incredibly tired and the instances of him falling asleep while finishing some exercises were relatively frequent. The moment her eyes would find him snoring softly over some unfinished paper, she would giggle quietly and put something to cover him and keep him warm as she completed his share of homework.

It was more difficult than her own workload, but for some reasons the sudden improvement of grades from the boy suggested that it wasn't as difficult as she initially thought.

And, finishing the arduous papers, she would silently tilt her head over his and plant a quick kiss on his forehead, her mind shifting once more to the kitchen where the girl had to prepare their dinner.

Night would then arrive and the two would go to their respective rooms. As much as the two loved each other, sharing the same bed as a permanent thing was still off from happening anytime soon.

It was going to happen, the blonde was sure of that but… she just enjoyed this beautiful peace.

Indeed, the few observers would finally say, love is the best answer to that simple question.

* * *

**AN**

**Quick info before passing to other things:**

**Dracula Tepes is not Alucard (Rosario + Vampire). Dracula was a human called Mathias Conqvist that was driven by the grief of losing his first wife to take the powers of one of the most powerful Vampires in Valachia, Walter Bernhard, at the cost of sacrificing Leon Belmont's fiance, Sara Trantoul (1094 AD), then spending almost four centuries in exile, away from most of mankind while recruiting those that scorned God like he did. In early 1400, 'Alucard' was a prince of the region that revealed to be a Vampire, his wish to create a Utopia for monsters by making everything part of himself, absorbing everything that lived. The Belmont would have intervened about the situation, but until later that century they would be hunted down by the Church as heretics. The Dark Lords (Akasha Bloodriver, Tenmei Mikogami and Touhou Fouhai) went to face the Shinso Vampire and managed to seal it away. In 1476 the Church Inquisition puts on trial Lisa Tepes, local doctor in Targoviste, for Witchcraft, and was executed by being burned alive. A year later, Dracula declared war on Humanity and assembled the Army of Darkness. Four heroes in the form of Trevor C. Belmont, Sylva Bernandes, Adrian Tepes (Alucard) and Grant Danasty stormed the Count's castle and put an end to his attempt to destroy the world.**

**Summarized: Alucard (R+V), Dracula and Alucard (Castlevania) are separate entities in this series.**

**Last explanation (this one is short): Until now the only OC is Mathias Belmont, some people thinks that I've been putting OC and I'm sorry to say that those are actually characters from the various series I've been bringing up.**

_**Future milestone 1: 777 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**NexusPrime42****: This actually happens ****_before_**** Aria of Sorrow as that installment happens in 2034 and the story is set in 2011. So yeah Soma isn't even alive at this point (he was born in 2017).**

**Resurrection99****: Baki will be Mob's new life teacher and physical trainer.**

**Illusion of Time****: Thanks for the good words and the compliments. I will be taking the issues seriously, I know that I've yet to develop Kuroka, Akua and Akeno. I'm planning to first focus on Koneko as she is the character I focused the least recently and I wish to reassert the idea she is supposed to be on par with Kunou with Hoitsu (But actions matter more than words, so I will let the chapter about it explain it for me.). Once more thank you for bringing this minor issues up and I will be careful. Thanks!**

**Guest (Chapter 37)****: I know that I'm going ****_a little bit_**** fast, but I will stop with X-overs after this Castlevania bit just to fully explains the ones I've currently introduced. I understand the concern and I will be careful in world-building stuff… well.**


	39. Null Waiting and Heated Development

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 39****: Null Waiting and Heated Development**

* * *

The throne room of the large castle was a shadow of its former self. Regal drapes and paintings of important family members had been either shredded or burned by the devastating battle that preceded this horrible desolation.

Numerous craters littered the once pristine floor, bleeding limbs and armored torsos were scattered all over as the grand group of guards deployed to deal with the intruders proved to be useless in the end.

Mihai Tepes, the Fourth King of the Tepes Faction, breathed tiredly as he tried to get up from the pool of his own blood. His arms shredded with wounds and cuts, his legs scorched and his face completely bruised as he tried to make a last stand against the smiling Devil in front of him.

Rizevim Lucifer's smile was an empty one, something that resembled the current situation the old vampire was facing. So hopeless and humiliation.

"I'm kind of disappointed." The spawn of Lucifer mourned with a bored tone. "I was expecting a little more of a fight… or that you would have been smart enough to give us your daughter and spare yourself this silly and deadly encounter."

The Vampiric King snarled at those words. "Y-You think you could truly _order_ me to do such a thing?! I'm the head of this proud family and-"

"Your heir betrayed you." Another individual interrupted, standing close to the still-smiling Rizevim. "It's a shame that this once-glorious clan is forced to give up its freedom and _survival_ for two useless fools."

"S-Spare me your politene-ness, L-Lucifuge." Mihai spat vehemently. "I-I wonder if you a-are still sore for your sister's betra-GUH!"

A raging scowl flashed in Euclid Lucifuge's face, his hands glowed red as a scarlet string appeared and wrapped around the fallen vampire's neck, starting to pressure his throat.

"You seem to be forgetting that you are _below us_, blood sucker." The younger man pressed with some annoyance. "While Lord Rizevim has allowed you to speak until now he-"

"Oh please! We both know that the reason you are chiding him is because you are what you are." The Super Devil reasoned with some amusement. "And that is a Siscon."

"M-My lord, I beg you to at least restrain these comments while we aren't dealing with anyone of this man's ilk." The Lucifuge replied, blushing profusely at the way his Lord called the love he still proved for his sister Grayfia.

Wasn't it the duty of a brother to be so caring and genuinely in love with their sister? Especially with someone so gorgeous, so intelligent and so sinfully se-

"Euclid! Stop with your perverted thinking, I can see you blushing and grinning like a pervert there." The Lucifer snapped with a whine. "And people say that I'm sick in the mind..." He concluded while shaking his head in disappointment.

"T-Thousands of apologies, milord! I will see to have this cur dealt with swiftly!" Without hesitation, the strings tightened even more and the once-proud leader of the of the Tepes Clan was decapitated before their eyes.

Moments of silence passed and… "This is surprisingly more boring than I was expecting." Rizevim mused loudly enough for his loyal follower to sigh.

"We have to wait for young Marius to return. It was your order to have him recover the missing holder of the Sephiroth Graal." The Lucifuge answered, getting a sheepish look from his lord.

"Yeah… about that..." The oldest of the two looked particularly nervous so suddenly. "You remember the Belmont brat that followed us here… right?"

Euclid blinked and then nodded. "The mongrel has to have perished before even entering at this point-"

"_Technically he is still alive_." Rivezim interjected with some embarrassment. "But I'm sure the currently non-existing energy pattern that is Marius will deal with our intruder, which is currently in the proximity of a powerful individual, and return with his sister."

…

"Lord Rizevim, did you just say non-existing-"

"I don't know how a 'proud and strong' vampire was unable to kill an idiot with some explosive whip." The man admitted bluntly. "Nor do I know how that brat got killed in the process."

"Maybe the Belmont was much stronger than we initially thought-"

"Or maybe the vampire tripped on some blood and… landed on some swords." Rizevim blinked thoughtfully, noticing the strange look the Lucifuge was giving him just instants after proposing that idea. "What? The Internet taught me to be expecting even the unexpected. Or maybe ruined my sanity even more but…" He shrugged calmly. "Who knows, maybe it is a sillier situation."

Euclid shook his head, his mind mostly accustomed with the brand of madness the Lucifer's spawn was known for and decided to ask the important question. "Then why are we not going to capture the girl ourselves? Is the 'powerful entity' stronger than even you-"

"Oh no!" The man waved his hands negatively at that suggestion. "He is stronger than you, but he_ pales_ compared to me. It's just that… I'm waiting for something, or better,_ someone_-"

"If you mean the young man that you say resembles your father, I fail to see why he would ever come here." The former leader of Nilrem remarked with an odd tone.

"Hope is the last thing to die and..." A smug look appeared on his boss' face. "Pray tell, are you perhaps still miffed about his 'closeness' with your sister?"

Euclid scoffed. "Grayfia has to have done it to establish a connection, to spy upon him and-"

"I think that is how you motivated her relationship with Sirzechs Gremory. I also remember that's how she ended up married and-"

"_Milord!_" The loyal minion pressed with some annoyance. "C-Could we avoid this delicate and senseless topics."

The smile adorning the Lucifer's lips widened but the man nodded. "Sure but… we are still waiting for him to come."

"And what if he doesn't-"

"Then we will take the girl and return back to the HQ. No pressure or anything, I can assure you."

The Lucifuge nodded and they proceeded to wait for something to happen and… nothing really did.

In the end, Rizevim decided to pass the following half an hour by poking fun at his 'simple' weakness, mocking his rightful love for his sister and his intention of dealing with that disgusting Gremory that stole her from him!

* * *

Finding an unscathed room in this maze of hallways proved to be an irritating task for Alucard, the Castle having suffered much from the attack led by Rizevim Lucifer and the monsters banding behind him and sparing just few small rooms to the onslaught.

The little bedroom contained just a bed and a small window that led to the back-side of the humongous building_. _Placing both youths on the bed, the Dhampir contemplated the whole situation, from the reasons behind the attack on the family's castle to the presence of a Belmont that wasn't Julius in this event.

While the reasoning could be easily found in the secret power hidden well-within the young woman softly snoring near the sleeping human, the fact those that led this assault had yet to sent against him any dangerous threat was proof that there was much more than the Sephiroth Graal little Valerie had.

His knowledge of his distant family started to expand by the time he had finished to deal with Magnus and his attempts to turn him to the side of Evil. After dealing personally with his father, the need to make sure that there was no mean to bring him back to life once again made him encounter a section of the Tepes family he was completely unaware of. While Dracula loved only two women in his life, he did provide grand rewards to his staunchest supporters, awarding them a place within his closer family.

The Tepes Faction in Transylvania was initially formed by these loyal servants of the Count, then expanding and creating the core family that owned this castle. A reference to Dracula's moving home, but smaller and… less domineering.

The first contact was brief but left a hopeful chance of connecting with the group. Then Alucard learned about how the vampire's society in the region had changed drastically, to the point where new families had joined the Tepes and formed the faction the former minions of Dracula led even now.

But to think that this attack would happen without notice, to think that the young woman that was softly shivering in her sleep and calming down just by being in the proximity of the young Belmont was actually a victim of abuse?

He was careful to attach himself to people, but to see part of his 'kin' hurt to this degree made his blood boil in hatred. Deep memories of his past, of wise words from his mother as she told him of the lack of kindness she experienced during her childhood.

Blood red eyes closed, the Dhampir spent some moments to recover from that moment of pure fury as to avoid waking up the two youths. The Belmont required rest, his Magical core suffering from minor magical exhaustion and slight physical tiredness.

He was surprisingly young, younger than Trevor, Richter or Julius. Far too young to have been sent to deal with this disturbance and the presence of some tear-lines still fresh on his face proved that something had to have _forced_ the young man to take the task at hand.

Wielding the whip Trevor used to help Alucard in his crusade against his father, he was skeptical he knew how to make use of it. The weapon drawn upon the user's magical energy, a further strain that Trevor managed to deal with thanks to Sylva's help centuries ago.

He was a Belmont, there was no doubt about it, but the discovery of a branch of the Vampire Slaying family that he was unaware until now proved how detached he was with Julius. Both men shared a sense of camaraderie, but it wasn't as strong or genuine as the one he shared with his first human companions. They fought in the Demon Castle War, united by the need to destroy Dracula once and for all, but they then grew apart after the end of the battle.

Julius became a simple monster hunter, traveling mostly through the United States, while Alucard preferred to wander in Easter Europe and Japan, the later place receiving major importance as the place where the Count's castle was sealed within.

To think that the Belmont clan was now as big as it was centuries ago… proved how his lack of attachment to humanity has led him away from important details about the world. He nodded to himself that in this occasion he would have at least tried to know more about this young man, not because of the possibility itself, but by the fact he was incredibly younger than anyone taking on the mantle of Dracula's bane.

It was right in that moment that the boy shifted in his sleep, the sudden action in his slumber caused by the umpteenth shivering of the girl nearby. He turned silently and his arms wrapped around her and bringing her closer, the blonde stiffening just a moment at the embrace but moments later accepting almost too delightfully the invitation and planting her face on his ruined shirt.

The sight was intriguing as nostalgic, bringing back a lone moment of his childhood where his father decided to skip the usual paperwork the castle required, spending the day with his wife back to their bedroom.

Silent glances, quiet words and pure comfort from being together in that precious moment. It was awing, it was intriguing and-

_Adrian_ shook his head, his face adopting a grimace at being reminded of those precious times when life was optimal and when he could still trust his family.

A little chance, a minor hope to bridge the gap of the two families, to correct the mistakes of one Mathias Conqvist and make up with the descendants of Leon Belmont.

It was the dream his mother would cherish for, an attempt to end the hostilities, to conclude that painful chapter for both families and… finish the foolish plan of a young and suffering idiot.

The hope of permanently remove from the world the only thing left of Dracula. _His dark presence in his enemies' minds._

* * *

I proceeded to yawn as I glanced at the newest set of homework Koneko was trying to finish before lunch. Kunou was already done with it and had taken an early leave for the bathroom.

The others were… nowhere near the kitchen. While I was the leader of this growing group I certainly wasn't all-knowing of their general locations without being told or notice it beforehand. Thus I was there, with the silver-haired Nekoshou as she struggled a little with more difficult exercises of Math.

She was improving quickly, but she was far from mastering the new topic of the subject. I think the strangest detail was the fact the girl decided to take a seat on my lap. Nothing remotely lewd or perverted, but quite… cute.

Her ears tickled my chin, twitching happily the times she managed to get some exercises done correctly but going flat the moment I had to correct some of her mistakes. The purring and the vibration that followed were somewhat amusing and her tail slapping softly on my chest reminded me how much happy she was at the moment.

It was a nice moment that we were spending after so much time has passed ever since we left Kuoh Town.

I was quite distracted by some corrections when the first signs that something was wrong with her started to manifest.

Her tail started to waggle faster, her purring slowly intensifying as her ears twitched with more emotion. Her face was starting to get red for some reason and her warmth increased.

Then I noticed her stopping, initially thinking that she was trying to elaborate something in her head before doing anything and then… she placed her pen on the table, slowly turned to glance around.

Her golden eyes fixed on my chest, my shirt as she pressed her nose and sniffed for few moments, her breathing itching on my skin as four familiar and dreadful words left her trembling lips.

"Y-Your scent..." Koneko straddled on the shirt. "S-So _good!_"

_**Fuck, it's happening again!**_

Nuclear alarms boomed within my brain and I was suddenly trying to stand up. She pressed her butt down, trying to force me to sit but… I was stronger and managed to stand up.

While the girl had her hands tightly holding onto my shirt, she was quick to lose her balance and forced to take a standing over the table, desperation flashing through her features. "N-Nii, j-just once! _I-I need this!_"

"Y-You don't, Koneko-chan." I started to try and wrestle myself away from her hands, finding my life rendered difficult by her strength. "W-We can go to the training room and-"

"N-No! I wan- want to do that a-and I trust you."

"It's not a matter of trust, sweetie!" I finally managed to get out of her hold and I focused on rushing away from the area and back to my room. The door's lock should be strong enough to keep her out.

"P_-Please_, d-don't leave me!" My heart clenched at those words, reminding me far too much when she was positively scared I was going to abandon her when I had to go and save Asia, but I still persisted as I knew the context in this case was far different.

The chase was a long one, the path through the stairs difficult as the girl's boosted speed was perfectly synchronized with her reaction time, giving her several opportunities to get close to catch me. I ran swiftly through the hallway and had my eyes fixed on my room and-_ I found myself pushed inside by the silver-haired missile._

Slamming face-first on my head, Koneko scrambled to try and position herself on a comfortable place but I was quick to turn around and put her in a forced embrace. "_P-Please!_ Just once."

_**Of all times this could have happened… wasn't her heat supposed to happen much later?**_

_I think it has to do with the fact she awakened her Nekoshou form much earlier. I think her instincts returned quicker than in Canon._

"I-I can't do that with you, sweetheart." I struggled a little to keep her from breaking away and return to her 'attack'. Moments of active resistance passed but then she stopped moving at once.

Her face was pressing on my chest and I felt my shirt wetting up a little because of tears, she was trembling and then she started to sob loudly. Gone was the fire that moments before was driving her to demand 'that' kind of attention. The emotion settling down as sadness took over in that heart-aching display.

"_I-I'm sorry!_" She bawled in my chest and I sighed tiredly at the scene, hand moving to softly pat her head.

"Shh, everything will be alright." The Nekoshou straddled tightly onto me but didn't do anything else but cry.

_**We are lucky enough her mood swing got her in a more acceptable predicament, but I think we need to do something before the next one get us in trouble.**_

I nodded to myself and decided to try something. "Koneko-chan, look up." I ordered softly.

The girl hesitated to follow the command, but moments later she was staring up, puffy eyes staring at mine, my heart clenching once more at the sorrowful sight.

"I want you to try and achieve your Senjutsu form right now. I know that it generally require help but-" I didn't get to finish my sentence as I felt natural energy reaching for Koneko, the silver-haired girl initiating this without hesitation and far too eagerly.

The input was impressive, showing that she has been working on this situation for a while now and the results were as intriguing as worrisome. Eyes closing, she started to focus on keeping the energy from taking over her sanity and perception, to let the toxicity that was attached to the natural energy out of her body and mind.

My own Magical coils flared as I joined the efforts to stabilize the form and reduce her burden. The result was… awing.

The girl's eyes opened slowly but I could see a confident smile in her face. "Hoi-nii, this is so… nice~!"

Her head softly rested on my chest, cheek pressed on the shirt as she gave a delighted smile. "C-Can you pet me?"

I blinked in surprise at the request but complied, her head suddenly accepting eagerly the warm head-patting.

"I-I can see your energy a-and it's so amazing." Her amazed tone took me by surprise and I nodded.

"It's quite an interesting sight, to see everyone's energy so closely and-" I stopped as I felt her press even more on my chest.

It was in that moving that I felt the presence of something that wasn't there before. The first thing that preceded the ultimate proof was the presence of two tails instead of one and… then I saw how tight her simple shirt was.

Her bust was bigger than before and it took me just a moment to realize that, _even through I was mostly focusing on the Senjutsu part,_ Koneko had somehow integrated Touki in her form. I remember perceiving some of it few weeks ago when she tried to stop me from going home but…

Her smile widened, content at being bestowed by the caring petting, while basking in the power coming from her _Shirone _form.

An older Koneko, a stronger Koneko and… a Koneko more carefree than usual. It was an odd sight for sure but… my plan was working.

I could feel the excesses of her core consumed by the form as it was slowly draining her and she finally fell asleep two minutes later. Her content smile was still there as she returned back to normal but she also kept latching on my chest.

Sighing tiredly and knowing that lunch was nigh, I decided that just for today some minor help was allowed.

Most of the people by the table blinked in surprise at the sight of me holding Koneko in my arms, some merely confused and fine with the legitimate explanation given, some showing some looked perplexed like Akua, Teru and Sho, while the small group that remained was completely fine with it.

In this last group I counted few 'strange' members, Kuroka and her smug look weirdly enough dread-inducing. It was at the sight of a _familiar device in her lap as she ate that I knew what was going on._

I could recognize a camera from that short distance and my eyes narrowed at the Nekoshou. "Why?" I asked with a serious tone.

"Blackmail." She cited calmly. "Some family memory and… you both look _so cute~!_"

I sighed tiredly and nodded. "It would seem like your stash will be burned today."

Her fork fell off her hold, her face paling in shock at my words. "W-What?"

I merely smiled, deflecting the questioning from the dark-haired Yokai with silence.

_So, this is my new peace now?_

* * *

**AN**

"**You better not give him the chance to-"**

**Y-You know that I can't control him-**

"**Then give me a Lemon already!"**

**But you have yet to-**

_**Pulls Author up and glares Him right in the eyes.**_

"**Either you preserve the status quo or I will get my strong kittens."**_** Pulls mouth close to Author's ear.**_** "One way or**_** another**_**.**_**"**_

**S-Sure thing then! I will see for him to stop razing you stash, lovely Kuroka.**

"**Sexy Kuroka-chan, don't forget the proper adjectives~!"**

_**Walks away with a relieved smile.**_

_**Authors look at readers**_**.**

**This is escalating way too quickly…**

**But let us focus on serious matters!**

**The Tepes Arc continues and we have yet to see Azazel. First impressions for Euclid and Rizevim? I think I made the latter a little less Canon because of some pseudo-memey attitude while also pointing out Euclid's obsession for Grayfia much more than in Canon.**

**Koneko's heat is canon but this one is far more violent than Kunou's. Why? Kunou has her emotions showing almost everywhere, staying with Hoitsu making her more relaxed and more socially-adept with people around her. Koneko has been bottling up her feelings for years and… that is the explosive result. Shirone form too early? Technically no as this isn't **_**yet**_** achieved by her efforts alone. Hoitsu had to intervene to allow it to happen and… yeah, her Shirone form is also wiser than her usual self, the sudden growth isn't only physical.**

_**Future milestone 1: 777 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash****)**** socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**jalalfof5: Maybe, I don't know. It depends on the fact if I should respect his whole 'on my own' creed or not.**

**RedBurningDragon: Right now in this timeline Dracula's castle is sealed away in the epilogue of the Demon Castle War (it happened 40 years before Aria of Sorrow) and the only place to access it is the Hakuba Shrine in Japan.**


	40. Insanity Ensues

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 40****: Insanity Ensues**

* * *

The process of waking up was a quick one. Eyes snapping open widely as he started to take notice of everything in the unfamiliar room, Mathias restrained himself from yawning as he felt his body constricted by a pair of arms.

A blink, then two, finally he glanced on the side and he was greeted by warm breath reaching his nostrils. The sight was shocking, not because of the relative danger, but by the closeness the vampire's face was to his own. She was sleeping, eyes closed and features relaxed as the girl looked really engaged with her calm sleep.

The Belmont felt confusion slowly replace his shock, several the questions regarding the happening during his unconsciousness and soon… he saw him.

Like a shadow bothering nobody but itself, a youthful man continued to polish the thin sword in his possession.

Long white hair left uncombed, the clothes were old-styled, similar to the ones used during the medieval ages with dark cape and boots. His skin was pale, a sign of his unholy nature, and his golden eyes were fixed on the task at hand.

His posture didn't change as Mathias looked at him, yet the boy knew that the vampire had to have perceived a sudden change nearby. The young man was about to address the figure, realizing almost too quickly who he was looking at.

Alucard had been a known friend to the Belmont family, an ally in the fight against Count Dracula and cults trying to bring him back to life. His uncle mentioned how detached the Dhampir was during the Demon Castle War.

Helpful, but very distrustful of those around him. A silent figure, a lone wolf.

But as Mathias' lips parted and his breath built behind his teeth to properly call the familiar being, he stopped as he noticed something has changed during his silent thinking. Gone was the snoring, the warm breath of the young lady sleeping beside him subsiding and the boy directed his sight once more at the girl.

Blue eyes meet red orbs. There wasn't much emotion coming out from these inhuman eyes if only for surprise and… relief?

_Why would a lady be relieved of sleeping beside someone of the opposite gender?_

New confusion but mostly surprise when the girl proceeded to put her head closer to him, resting on his chest and nuzzling lovingly. She looked like a small kitty trying to get his attention, the only thing missing being the 'purring' cats were known for when showing affection.

It was an odd sight and… he blinked.

What was he supposed to do with this young woman? Was this a trick from her- but then why would Alucard allow this predicament to even happen?

Her eyes were still staring silently at him, waiting for him to do something about the situation and… he winged it.

It was a small gamble, but as he moved his left hand over her head and started to cautiously play with her locks, something curious happened. Her smile widened at his touch and soon her own hands shifted out from their previous location and took hold of the hand petting her head.

Eyes closing in comfort, she blissfully hummed at the boy's ministration.

"Dhampirs are known to have a liking for warm individuals, mostly humans." The regal voice broke through the Belmont's surprise and caused the young man to stare once more at Alucard. The spawn of Dracula now staring directly at him, his blade already sheathed back, a curious glance directed at the scene the human was part of.

A blush spread through his face, the embarrassment playing a big role in keeping him quiet while the man continued to stare at the predicament with a curious glint in his eyes.

"I admit that to see a dhampir to be this close to a human… It's quite the abnormality, indeed." He concluded with a nod, drawing a frown from the Belmont.

"A-And why would she do this? Why she decided to be this close when-"

"She is supposed to be your enemy?" The silver-haired man interrupted quietly. "I can only think of one reason and… that is because she thinks you are her protector."

Mathias blinked. "P-Protector? I- But I killed her brother-"

"Did you notice how… she reacts so childishly to everything? How she has yet to speak?"

Strong questions that rekindled new interest over the currently humming girl resting on my chest. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the world, as if the comfort was the only thing left for her to grasp from reality itself.

"Young Valerie has a gift since she was born. A powerful instrument that can allow so many impressive miracles… but it weakens the user the more it's used." The older Dhampir explained calmly. "Her mind and heart are fragmented much like the gift within her soul, this kind of damage could be healed… but she needs time and help."

The human nodded at his words, a bit at ease at the knowledge that the blonde wasn't as dangerous as he initially thought. His lips twitched as he took a step forward.

"V-Valerie?"

While Alucard was explaining the boy her story, the Belmont noticed her ears twitching at her name being said loudly and her reaction at being called by the closer male was… much different.

Eyes opening and looking raptly at the boy, Valerie Tepes waited for whatever he was going to say and… the young man nodded at her.

"I-I'm Mathias." He pointed his free index finger at his face, the girl glancing at it before staring once more at him. Moments of silence passed and then… she smiled.

"M-Mathias?" Her voice was hesitant, 'tasting' the new name.

"T-That is my name. Yes." At the positive response, the girl smiled a little more.

"Mathias." She repeated. "Maaathias." A giggle was building in her throat and she nuzzled even more.

The boy blinked in surprise at the enthusiastic reaction of the girl, shocked that she would act to happily at learning just his name.

A strange sight, one that lasted very little as Alucard stood up from his chair and looked at the Belmont. "You've rested more than enough." He commented placidly. "Your reserves have recovered and… the faster we deal with the intruders the least we will have to deal with those waiting to enter."

"Good or bad people?"

The man sighed as he stared out of the window. "Annoying ones."

But it was at that moment that Mathias noticed something carefully placed in a chair near the bed. It was… the Morning Star?

"Your weapon of choice is a powerful relic of the past," Alucard commented. "But may I ask how you gained it and… why are you here, young Belmont?"

The human was ready to answer, the matter still fresh in his mind but… he froze.

The fragmented assault suddenly storming his brain and he felt his entire body cooling down in dreadful rediscovery.

"My parents… we were attacked back at home and..."

"My condolences, young Mathias." The Dhampir replied quickly. "It's a tragedy that shouldn't have happened and… why."

The Belmont blinked. "I- their leader wanted the Morning Star. I don't know why or-"  
"They wanted the Morning Star." The man interrupted again, his pale stare directed at the weapon. "And they are here for Valerie's Sacred Gear."

There was a strange look plastered on the powerful being and then a scowl appeared.

"We need to deal with them before they can obtain even for an instant any of those." He continued with a stern edge. "If they accomplish their plans..."

It sounded ominous and… somewhat scary. What could Alucard be talking about and… why did he feel the need to shiver?

A few minutes later and after reinforcing his arsenal with some bottles of Holy Water, another Steel Sword and some pieces of a Steel Armor Alucard brought with him, Mathias was the first one to walk out of the room, followed by Valerie and the older Dhampir.

But as he walked out of it and turned to look at the entire hallway-

"Oh, how do you do fellow kids?" A familiar and dreadful voice asked with a mirthful tone.

"What?!"

* * *

Rizevim yawned as he continued to walk slowly through the hallways of the massive castle, Euclid close behind as the Lucifuge gave a narrow-eyed stare at his Lord.

The Lucifer having finally decided to personally deal with the 'resistance' hiding in the lower area of the castle but also enforcing the need to 'walk' to reach it as… 'he wanted to take it slow'.

The entire building was mostly under their control and the chances of getting ambushed were nigh-impossible, thus the younger Devil saw no issue in accepting his leader's request with a positive note.

Nothing weird with wanting to stroll through the recently-captured place… but soon the acceptance for this request he had initially shown to the man decayed away to make space to utter annoyance at how slowly they were walking.

And it certainly didn't help that his lord didn't know anything about the place and it's been several times now that they had to return on their steps because they would end up in dead-ends.

A full hour passed and Euclid felt one of the veins showing in his head close to bursting if he found himself dealing with the umpteenth dead-end.

It happened without notice, the only warning being just a bigger smile from the Super-Devil as they turned the corner only to see one of the doors on the side of the hallway opening and… revealing the three individuals they were searching for.

The human stared with wide eyes and Rizevim spoke.

"Oh, how do you do fellow kids?"

The boy's jaws dropped the floor at the strange question. "What?!"

Indeed, what kind of insane scheme was his lord speaking off but the Lucifer merely chuckled in response, it sounded strangely empty. "Oh, to know someone helped me complete a reference… without even knowing what's up."

A sigh left his lips. "Such a terrible shame."

Alucard took a step forward, covering for both the Belmont and the Tepes in a strange turn of events. Why would a young girl devoted to her family betray her _rightfully-protective _brother to join with her enemy-

He felt cold at the parallels between this case and the one that saw him losing his older sister to that wretched Gremory. A scowl appeared on his face as he prepared to deal with the two treacherous brats and avoid the second-coming of-

"Euclid, how many times do I have to tell you to not make everything inspired to your drama." Rizevim sighed tiredly. "You are literally staring creepily at our enemies and even I feel out-creeped by your current stance."

The Lucifuge blinked and let his eyes widen just a moment. "A-Apologies, milord-"

"Don't apologize if you don't mean it." He chided with some annoyance in his voice. "But please, do focus on the brats while I entertain myself with the broody guy over there-"

But before they could proceed with the simple plan, the castle started to shake momentarily. A minor earthquake? Some assault from the outer walls-

Before Euclid could conclude the several guesses born from his logical mind, the wind rushed their way, pressure started to build up and… Rizevim jumped in front of him.

A crater formed underneath the Ultimate-Class Devil the magnitude of power being held back by the Lucifer's hands was outstanding and… scary. The two-pronged spear was pushed back and its owner looked visibly surprised through his armor.

"Fancy seeing you there, Azazel." The silver-haired man snarled as he punched away the long weapon. "Thought you would have wasted some more time before coming knocking."

"Let's just say that someone wants this dealt rather quickly." The Governor-General admitted with some amusement.

Rizevim was forced to duck as a metallic whip cracked just above his head. The current user of the blessed weapon stood few steps behind Azazel, quickly retracting the weapon and glaring at the Super-Devil.

"So you are the one responsible for the destruction of my home." Slowly approaching the group, Julius Belmont looked to be ready to maul the Lucifer, knuckles turning white at how tight he was holding the Vampire Killer.

"I may have walked around the area. Don't know precisely and- Oh right, doesn't work if there is a witness around." Rizevim looked back with a gloomy expression at the younger human. "Seriously kid, why didn't you just perish-Uh?!"

The Lucifer ducked away, this time to dodge the clawed hand of Alucard's wolf for.

"Now that is quite unfair! Let me bring some balance to things and- Euclid, you deal with the kids and Fabio over here." A smile formed on his face. "I pick Azzie and Daddy Issue."

Without hesitation both attackers started the battle, the Lucifuge rushing towards Julius as he considered him the strongest threats while Rizevim engaged in a close-fight with Alucard.

The Dhampir deployed his sword, the precious heirloom left to him by his mother causing sparks as it impacted against the gauntlets conjured by the Super-Devil. "Let's see how strong you are, _Dracula's spawn_."

A snarl appeared on the Dhampir's face and the pure pressure exercised by the brawling Devil was lessened only a few moments later as Azazel joined the fight too.

"You better not forgetting about me, oldie." The lance slammed on the silver-haired Devil's elbow. "Don't want to be left disappointed her."

Rizevim smiled madly, seemingly ignoring the damage sustained. "Good for me. Two dead morons in a single fight? Now that is a nice discount." He cackled as he returned the hit by kicking Azazel on his thigh.

In another section of the hallway, Julius found himself sweating a little more than usual.

Euclid summoned several red spheres and threw them at him, forcing the 31-years old Belmont to dodge the attacks with magical after-images.

The pacing of the fight seemed to be on par with the one he had with Dracula back in 1999, the Devil being rather fond of using Explosive magic to keep the distance with him. A clear weakness to close-quarter.

Once he got close enough, he proceeded to send the tip of the whip flying once more towards the Magic-user and he was graced with a powerful blow that forced the Lucifuge to drop his spells just for a moment.

A hole through his clothes was burning, right above his stomach and the rekindled snarl was enough to convince him that he had dealt some serious damage. The number of explosive spheres intensified and the Belmont proceeded to throw some Crosses against the still-recoiling Devil, the projectile weapons soaring rapidly towards the injured Lucifuge.

Euclide sighed as two magical barriers appeared in front of him, stopping mid-air the holy weapons and proceeding to create some magical strings to throw them back at his opponent.

Julius dodged most of them, but one still managed to reach him and crash on his leg. It was the impact that did most of the damage, but the pain surging from below his knee was enough to make him understand his mobility was reduced by that hit.

The attacks weren't even showing any sign of stopping, quite the contrary as the Devil sent more explosive spells against him as his enemy was aware of the new weakness he had created.

With his speed halved by the attack and with the intensity of the explosion not faltering for just a moment, Julius growled as he focused most of his attention in dodging the attacks, knowing that if one managed to hit him it was going to be the end of him.

But just as he was too focused on avoiding the spells coming his way, Euclid was also quite distracted by the intense task to notice the danger approaching from behind.

Eyes widening in surprise, he barely turned around to see the one attacker that managed through, the Morning Star currently slamming on his back with its blessed, spiked tip and the current owner, the younger Belmont, glaring his way while the holy explosion sent him flying away.

His brief flight was interrupted by the wall nearby, his body breaching part of it before being halted, his bones groaning at the pressure and the Lucifuge felt his ribs bruising at the sudden impact.

Falling on the floor and blood slowly falling from the corner of his mouth, the Devil stared up as the two Belmont approached him, whips ready to crack one last time to end his life-

Rizevim grinned as he found the battle he was facing to be one of the funniest ever. While Azazel's little toy was giving him a hard time in terms of raw strength, he was immensely happy to deal with a highly-versatile opponent as Alucard.

Deadly blows were either dodged with his bat form or his mist form, magic was employed when the Devil didn't show any sign of magical barriers and his sword was capable of cutting through his armor and skin.

It's been so long since he had the pleasure to face someone this well-versed in adaptable fighting and for a few moments he found himself intrigued by his battle-lust.

The Governor-General tried to impale him once again but just like before the Lucifer merely deflected the two-pronged spear and slammed a kick on the Fallen Angel's armored ribs. Alucard went to use his shield to halt a punch coming his way but was forced to take some steps back at the vibration going through his entire arm after the impact.

The fight intensified to a point were Rizevim found himself constantly giggling at the unique styles of both his opponents synchronizing harmoniously against him. It was so pure, uncensored and terribly addicting!

But while he wanted this little 'warm-up' to continue a little longer, his ears were keen to pick up the distressed yelp coming from Euclid. Eyes turning towards his minion and he saw the younger Devil ready to be turned in mincemeat by the two Belmonts.

Now, that wasn't something alright.

Without missing a moment, the Lucifer slammed his fist right on Azazel's armored chest, his little trump card entering in action as the Sacred Gear boosting the man faded away to reveal a surprised Fallen Angel.

A kick right on his teeth was enough to send Azazel flying, leaving just Alucard to face at that moment. A kick pushed the shield away as magic condensed within Rizevim's right hand and…

**KA-Boom!**

The blast was mostly absorbed by the shield, but the sudden kick-back sent the Dhampir to slam in the wall behind him.

Now that the road was open, the Super-Devil rushed by his minion's side and picked him up.

"M-Milord-"

"Can it, Euclid. You were certainly out-played by the fact you shouldn't focus on a single threat but to every single one of them." The Lucifer sighed tiredly as he stared at the two Belmont and the other Dhampir, safely hiding behind the two.

"I would be more than happy to continue this lovely meeting, but sadly the time has fleeted my mind and we have a date with… _Infinity_." The man exclaimed loudly at the two humans.

"You aren't going nowhere-" Juste tried to stop him, but the Devil cackled once more.

"Oh? But I'm going to use my super technique right now. Please don't blink!" Both tensed at this warning and the Devil's grin widened eagerly.

Tensing his leg a little as magic flooded the two lower limbs-

_Rizevim turned towards the hallway that led to the exit and started to run away while chuckling maniacally._

"**NIGERUNDAYO!**"

The mad Lucifer dodged the two whips coming his way and the pace he took was quick enough to out-speed the weapons and leave their range of actions. The two humans stared wide-eyed at the scene, unable to elaborate what kind of insanity they had just seen.

But as the two looked shocked and Valerie _giggled _at the scene, Azazel was the first to recover from the brief beating he received.

"_T-There are two of them now!_"

* * *

**AN**

**Oh My GOD! **_**Slaps both hands on my cheeks**_

**The Jojo references are intensifying and… things escalated fairly quickly.**

**Quick explanation why this was short (as I planned it to be): This Castle wasn't Dracula's and the enemies were interested in taking their objectives quickly rather than waiting for them to present themselves by the Throne Room. Mathias has a very marginal role as… he isn't truly trained to use Morning Star and he wanted to avoid creating issues to his more-experienced Uncle. Euclid is an expert in Magic, especially explosive ones but his mind is very limited to one target at the time, making him vulnerable to attacks from support. Rizevim **_**thrashed **_**both Azazel and Alucard… because he could. Even with Down Fall Dragon Spear, Azazel is slightly weaker than Rizevim and the Sacred Gear Canceller was enough to put him in utter difficulty. Alucard represented someone that could have seriously contested him, but no matter how many years he has spent fighting Dracula, Rizevim was just a step above him. Also yes, Rizevim is a Jojo Fan.**

**This chapter was a little slow, tomorrow I will fix things by bringing some super-fluff. The reason it was so short is because I wanted this event to be wrapped up quickly… so we can return to the main cast.**

**Now the X-overing will be tuned down a little, just enough to give some chance for the new members to 'introduce' themselves in this 'new world'. So yeah, next chapter will be extra-fluffy and filled with some pairing ideas put forward.**

**So… I've a pairing idea for Ophis and-**

_**To be Continued!**_

_**Future milestone 1: 777 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Illusion of Time****: Mob will have a special role next chapter and… it's not about Baki.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: Not in FF, SV and SB but I will post it in the Daily Lemon in AO3 and in the NSFW section of QQ.**

**RedBurningDragon****: The Belmont Archives are nowadays in ruins, the cause of the loss of so many important tomes presented by the early disappearance of the Belmont Clan and the ascension of the Morris Clan to the role of Dracula's bane.**


	41. Bluffing and Crushing

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 41****: Bluffing and Crushing**

* * *

_**Kuoh Town, Hoitsu Sakakibara's House**_

Breakfast was surprisingly a calm affair, much different than the previous days.

It's been three days now since Akeno was officially invited to join Issei and Asia to share the first meal of the day at Hoitsu's home.

At first both the blonde and the brunet were hesitant if not adamantly opposed to have the young woman in their proximity. Time might have passed but redemption has been a fleeting thought during the period they finally settled in their new living quarters.

Yet the Himejima proved to be very accepting of the doubtful stance, actually keeping the distances when the former nun requested or properly avoiding discussing about the matter during school-time.

Issei was the one that staunchly opposed to an early process of receiving forgiveness, even the genuine words from Baraqiel vouching for his daughter seemed to do little as he trained under the Fallen Angel.

Speaking of training, it's been just a week but Asia decided to finally join some of the training session. It wasn't a daily occurrence as it was for Issei, but the astonishing affinity to Light-type energy and the surprisingly big magical core she has made things quite easier for her.

Her sessions were easier than his, but the host of the Welsh Dragon knew that it was because the girl was but just a simple human. Differently from Hoitsu, the girl wasn't trained in anything physical and thus the part of the training that should be entertained by sparring sessions were actually spent doing some little exercise to build-up some muscles on her.

Magic made it possible to speed up a process that would have taken a month or two as the blonde now sported a more refined frame and her body's curves were now smoothed to a delightful way.

It didn't lessen anything about her beauty, quite the contrary as she now looked… sexier.

Odd thoughts have been wandering for a while now in Issei's mind but seeing his girlfriend showing some more skin while also doing some hard-working tasks? For some reason the scenes that presented before him left him more flustered than anything had back when he was still addicted to 'magazines'.

It felt a little wrong to ogle at the gorgeous girl, but it was also something that couldn't help himself with. She was just that much **good**.

It also didn't help that Ddraig was keen to comment on her positive changes, sometime commenting really slowly over her physique and causing the boy to turn to look at her.

Both were perverts, but where Issei drew the line that he wanted to step over _only _when their relationship was much more developed, the Red Dragon was unrestrained and limitless in his distracting commentaries.

...And the Balance Breaker made things worse than usual.

After harshly training over the potential of the Boosted Gear, gaining more control over the Boost, the Reset and the Burst abilities, Baraqiel explained to the boy about the incredible potential Sacred Gears all shared.

The Balance Breaker was the full-power of a Sacred Gear, the quintessential final form that made the user capable of using the entire potential of their inner gift and… it also meant that the connection with Ddraig was expanded and… deepened.

Emotions and thoughts were shared and so the more lecherous ideas the Dragon has over Issei's _mate_ left a massive blush in the youth's face behind that armor.

It was worse when the girl was in the training room, Ddraig's creative mind being rather experienced with the… knowledge of mating.

Oddly enough, even through the subject was something _intriguing_ for someone like Issei, the fact it was directed at Asia of all people left him with a weird sourness in his mouth.

But while the distracting thoughts made his life very difficult, the raw strength the form contained was undeniable. While he was far from being able to go on par with Baraqiel, the sudden boost reduced the distance between him and the older man.

Returning to that curious breakfast, Issei munched calmly and cautiously through the pancakes that both his girlfriend and Akeno prepared together, his paranoia peaking when a possible 'threat' was nearby the kind blonde.

Just as he was about to finish the third of his set, the door bell rang and caught everyone's attention.

Out of habit, it was Issei that stood up and went to check who was visiting at that hour of the day.

He checked from the door's peephole, but the only thing he got were a… light-brown Ahoge?

It twitched once, then twice and the Hyoudou decided to open a little to see who it truly was.

The moment the door was slightly opened so he could peek outside, the boy found himself assaulted by a pair of slender arms and… two soft cushions pushing on his face.

He fell on the floor, a giggle keeping him from reacting aggressively at such an unexpected tackle.

"Seems like you are still a slug with your reaction, Ise!"

He struggled a little to not drown in that heavenly bosom and his eyes were quick to take sight of the owner of the cushions.

A smiling face, eyes closed, the girl looked familiar but… nobody that he could exactly pinpoint in that exact moment. Where did he saw her? Maybe at elementary or middle school?

Her light-brown were tied in twintails, her eyes opened to show a particular violet shade and…

Nope, couldn't remember anyone like her.

The smile faded a little, then a little pout appeared instead of the pleased line. "Y-You remember me, right Ise?"

He didn't reply and while he felt he made the right choice, the dreadful sensation of having done something wrong didn't vanish. Her eyes narrowed and she looked ready to say something else, maybe scolding him for something he was completely unable to answer to but he felt footsteps and he looked at the corner that led to the living room to see Asia peeking at the scene with wide-eyes.

"I-Ise-kun?"

While he expected some jealousy from the former young, the brunet was once more surprised by the girl as the most he could get from her eyes was worry and concern rather than something… selfish.

It was the same look she would have when he happened to clumsily trip on someone during their time at school, her understanding over his 'bad luck' was summarized in few words.

"_**I know that you were trying to avoid that from happening."**_

And that genuine trust he felt bestowed by the girl was more than enough to finalize his love for her. He could remember his mother saying how it was learning about his father's soft-heart that got her to fall in love with him, nothing of the perverted nature he was known to his son.

The stranger blinked in surprise at the new girl, standing up as she helped him by pulling him up.

"S-Sorry, I almost forgot- Your mom did say that you were living there with someone else..."

The boy nodded at the apology but still was confused over the identity of this familiar individual.

He was about to ask when someone else spoke up over him.

"I understand that you are enjoying your friend, Irina, but I remind you that we aren't here for pleasantries."

The brunette flashed a blush and a scowl at the blunt comment from the_ blue-haired girl standing right behind her_.

'How did I miss her?'

"My name is Xenovia Quarta and she is my partner, Irina Shidou." The serious-looking girl introduced herself and the other girl. "Irina and I are Exorcists from the Holy See and we seek to speak with the Devils' representative of this region."

A blink, then two. Finally some sweat rolled of his head as he remembered few words from Sona before deciding to not be part of her group.

Since his _Master_ wasn't allowed to rule over the territory, he could easily be mistaken as a Stray Devil and-

"I-I can call _him_." Asia replied quickly, phone in her hands and number composed much to the surprise of the three people in front of her.

"Him? I thought that both controllers from the Devils' side were female."

"T-Things changed few weeks ago." The Blonde explained quickly and a little embarrassed. "Hoitsu-Nii can explain this better than I can."

The two girls nodded slowly, eyes narrowing on the former nun much to her surprise and… dread.

"I think I've seen you before..." Xenovia commented with a suspicious tone. "Were you perhaps part of the Church?"

The fellow Italian girl blinked in surprise at the question but… _she smiled and decided it was time to employ Hoitsu-nii's tactic for this specific case._

"I may have visited at a certain point of my life." She muttered slowly.

The blue-haired young woman tilted her head on the side with a confused expression. "So you haven't lived there?"

"It's been an extensive point of my life." Asia continued with a calm but restrained tone. "One could easily mistake living there with merely visiting."

Irina huffed. "So you were part of Church or not?"

"I'm quite devoted to the Lord, one could say… I could have been close to be a Nun because how much I loved the Church's teachings." She felt victory getting closer…

"What are you even saying here?" Xenovia broke her composure right in that moment, eyes widening for the sheer confusion torturing her mind. "Were you or not part of the Church?!"

Asia's mouth opened again to deliver another confusing round of words but then the receiver of the call answered.

"_Hello?_" The familiar voice of the owner of the house started the conversation.

"Hoitsu-nii, we have a situation here and-" The blonde started to speak but soon she was interrupted.

"_Before you continue, could you put on speaker? I think I know who it is- or better, who they are._"

The girl complied and soon his voice could be heard by everyone else.

"_Hello, am I perhaps speaking with Shidou-san and Quarta-san?"_

The Japanese girl blinked in surprise and nodded. "That's us-"

But before she could continue, she found herself interrupted by her partner.

"You're Italian, aren't you?" She asked without hesitation. "You said well my surname and-"

"_I speak Italian, yes._" Hoitsu replied over her following explanation. "_But I think there is something called manners, signorina, and I think your warden was good enough to teach you those._"

"You don't know anything about me," Xenovia fired back with an annoyed tone. "Plus, I don't think I need lessons of manners from a Devil-"

"_I'm a member of Grigori and I know that you are making some heavy steps with the way you're tackling this case, signorina Quarta._" The young man responded in kind. "_And I'm fairly sure the Church isn't keen to rekindle the Great War, so if I was you I would be keeping my mouth from ruining the chances of peace._"

That seemed to silence her, but Asia could see that the girl was seething at that little exchange.

But the moment the blue-haired girl bailed from the discussion, Irina decided to replace her on the chat. "So you are part of Grigori, sir? I thought we were talking with the current representative for the Devils in Kuoh Town."

"_That would be Sona Sitri, you will find her at Kuoh Academy during school hours._" The young man on the other side of the call answered. "_By the way, I'm Hoitsu Sakakibara-_"

"T-The 'Hoitsu Sakakibara' Lord Michael spoke about?" The blunt exorcist butted in with a surprised expression, her eyes moving to Asia. "S-So that means you are the Blessed Maiden that was unjustly banished from the Church."

Asia's eyes widened at the words and Hoitsu sighed. "_I kind of forgot to say but… I spent some words with Michael and he said he would have given a look at your case and, from Xenovia-san's words, I can say he pardoned you already._"

"S-So that means-" The blonde vibrated in pure cheerfulness.

"_You can pray to God without having to be hunt down as a Heretic._"

She squealed in victory and went to hug Issei much to the brunet's surprise and genuine happiness.

In that exact moment Irina pouted at the scene but, much to her shock, her anonymous reaction was shredded by the man's following words.

"_By the way, Ise, that girl with chestnut hair is your childhood friend," _Hoitsu said calmly. "_You mightn't recognize her because you confused her as a boy-"_

"W-What?!-"

"_Because she looked like one at that age. Irina, I do remind you that you had short hair and you preferred boyish clothes than feminine ones, I wouldn't be doing any ruckus over it if I was you._"

"B-But-"

"_No butts, you are smart enough to not fall in that silly mistake._"

"L-Lord Hoitsu, can I ask why the Blessed Maiden lives together with a… Devil?" Xenovia finally blurted out, causing the owner of the house to sigh at the phone.

"_Simple answer would be: They are boyfriend and girlfriend._"

The Exorcists' eyes widened at the truth bomb.

"_The full context is: Issei was almost killed by Stray Fallen Angel and was reincarnated by the former controller of Kuoh Town. He is currently on a 'free stay' and no, he isn't a Stray. He took care of Asia from the very day she arrived in Kuoh Town and they decided to step up their relationship._"

"Oh." Irina replied with a simple but sad note. "So… I think we should be going." Her tone somber as she turned around and started to walk towards the door.

"I-It was nice seeing you once more, Ise-"

"_I don't think I'm done with you, Irina._" The little command got her to stop from leaving, eyes going wide as she stared at the phone.

"W-What?"

"_Issei's mom did tell me some things about you and I have this as an advice for your new… plight._" The young man started to say, his tone surprisingly kind and very wise. "_If you care for someone, the real objective is to make them happy while being yourself happy. Don't beat yourself over it and… it doesn't mean making any competition. Compromises exist too-"_

"H-Hoitsu-nii!" Asia interrupted with eyes narrowed at the phone in shock at his words. "W-What are you talking about?"

"_Something that I will explain to you once your guests are out and you aren't at school. It's nothing meaningless, but something I forgot to explain to Issei and I think it's best you are around for that._"

She sighed but nodded softly. "I… I trust you on that."

"_And I love you for that, piccolina_."

Xenovia snorted at the nickname and Hoitsu sighed.

"_Something funny to say, signorina Quarta?_" He replied with an amused tone. "_By the way, I do hope you remember to call your 'warden' before going to bed. I can only think how much angry she would be at her apprentice not answering her phone calls-_"

"H-How do you know that?!" She blurted in shock.

"_I know many things and one about you is very, very important._"

"A-And that is?"

"_You lack common sense, signorina, and you should call your 'mom' right now._"

She blushed a little, appearing suddenly nervous while nodding. "I- I will once the mission is over-"

"_Do it before the end of the day and spare yourself some punishment from hers, would you?_"

The girl conceded a defeated nod and the call ended the moment the two girls decided to take their leave, bidding a polite goodbye before leaving the two teens' sight.

"They are…" Issei started with a placid tone.

"Interesting." Asia hummed with some happiness. "I still can't believe Hoitsu-nii managed to contact Lord Michael."

The brunet nodded too. "Yeah… unbelievable."

The girl stopped at seeing the boy's somber look. "Something's wrong?"

"I-I don't want to ruin the mood or anything… but it's been a while now that we see Senpai and-"

"He said he will be back in less than two weeks from now." The blonde interrupted with a pretty smile. "So he will be back by that time."

Issei nodded, accepting the optimistic point of view pushed by Asia as… he had nothing to worry about with Senpai.

_**If he promised something, he would always maintain it.**_

* * *

Ophis was incredibly annoyed.

Frustration has turned out to be a common emotion every time she had to deal with the affairs of the very organization she created.

The Hero Faction was filled with young humans craving for action, ignoring the importance of subtlety and preferring to strong-arm situations rather than being smart with their opportunities. Cao Cao was powerful, the possession of the Longinus and the outstanding capacity to use it to the very best made him a strong warrior but sadly those very abilities hardly influenced his poor leadership and sheer incapacity to calm the hot blood of the youths under his care.

The Old Satan Faction was the one that barked annoyingly and did the least for the Khaos Brigade as a whole, trying to get their ambitions settled the quickest possible even at the cost of sacrificing the other factions. _Rightful claims_, they pranced around by imposing some 'undeniable' rights that Ophis was starting to get annoyed to hear about.

The Qlippoth under Rizevim Lucifer was possibly the calmest but also the most confusing of the factions. While the son of the original Lucifer was polite while she was around, the Infinity Dragon wasn't blind enough to ignore the pure madness he was so keen to promote with those under his command.

It wasn't damaging as the other factions were with their personal motivations but something about him felt 'weird'. Familiar but also twisted, annoying but also not.

With a sigh, she found herself shifting out from the KB's headquarters and… in an unfamiliar big room.

It was the first time she decided to visit Hoitsu and Shiranai-nii after the Diodora's fail and she was ready to show to both how much well she has behaved in those days. Maybe a naughty act or two in allowing some generally chaotic actions, but she was hopeful in believing in apologies for those _little cases_.

The moment her eyes adjusted to the new place, she noticed almost too quickly that… there was no Hoitsu, nor the shadow part of his around.

Ophis gave another look and… her eyes locked onto the floating green spirit staring back at her with a shell-shocked expression. It looked funny but… also kind of depressing at how frozen it looked at her sight.

How odd, she mused silently and then her eyes moved to the second occupant of the room.

He was a young teen, much younger than Hoitsu and Vali, and he was suffering a little while trying to lift some weights. A blink, then two and… her confusion increased as the activity continued.

The boy was clearly strong enough, the power visible to her magically-enchanted sight and… yet she was unable to fathom why would he commit himself to the task without making use of his powers.

She slowly walked towards him and stopped to see more attentively at his actions. He was genuinely putting his physical best in the exercise, forfeiting in that moment the use of his immense energy for… no reason.

It was illogical and… she decided to do what she knew would work best. She spoke.

"Why?"

**32%**

The boy tensed, stopping just a moment mid-lifting to turn around and look at her. Dark eyes meet dark eyes, there was curiosity well-hidden in the boy's and maybe some surprise too if she considered the brief confused twitch appearing in his face.

**35%**

"Uh? What?"

An elaboration? Did he need for details? The Infinity Dragon merely nodded.

"Why aren't you using your power?"

**43%**

He blinked. "O-Oh." His eyes turned to the floor and he nodded. "I-I don't want to cheat."

Cheat? Why would using powers that are his own be considered cheating?

"But why? Why is it… cheating?" She pressed on, now that sounded like something… curious that she needed to know.

**48%**

"Well..." The boy said calmly stopping his exercises.

**54%**

"I want to have some muscles?" He replied with some uncertainty. "M-My former Sensei said that women loves muscles."

Muscles as in the bulky form of some men? Why would they be important to woman? Does those help with mating or-

"Why are muscles good?" The goth girl asked once more and the boy frowned.

**59%**

"Well, if I have muscles then… I would appear cooler and… I would be able to do things without my powers."

**62%**

"Why?" Her voice was blank, unbreakable and she took a step forward.

**81%**

"Why?" She continued to ask, drawing a confused look from the boy.

**96%**

She leaned forward, hands carefully straddling on his sweaty shirt.

**99%**

Her face was close to his and she noticed a strange difference from before.

**99,6%**

There were… pretty colors around his and his hair was now floating to an invisible wind.

**100% Confusion**

His eyes were wide open at the embarrassing intimacy they were sharing, one of her fingers pressing on her lips as she softly nodded.

"You are interesting." She said before backing away calmly and walking towards the stairs. "See you later, _Pretty Colors._"

Moments of silence passed as the girl silently left the room and… Dimple recovered.

"M-Mob, we need to stop her before-" The spirit's eyes widened in shock at seeing the boy's face. "M-Mob?!"

Eyes wide open and trembling a little, the teen's face was sporting a full-face blush at the embarrassed moment. To have a girl to not only show interests on him but to also ignore his powers while he let those out?

His lips twitched and Dimple narrowed his eyes in confusion at what seemed to have been a… _fleeting smile?_

* * *

**AN**

**Poor Mob is crushing on someone. **

**One would question me why it has to be Ophis and… the reason is that they match actually pretty-well.**

**Both share the same affinity which is Infinity itself: In Mob Psycho 100, Mogami proved that powerful espers gain immense power by ascending their mortality after death. Abandoning his human body, Mob would be easily matching Ophis in pure power and capacities.**

**About Ophis being genderless: after re-reading some entries in the Wikia and re-watching, re-reading some of the material, I can say for sure that while Ophis is genderless, she prefers to be female. There is only an instance where he was a man and that was revealed by Azazel, but it was just that, a single instance. Her preference to being female could stem from the fact that girls are better-received by people around compared to boys, her childish demeanor requesting affection as a replacement to her 'Silence' once in a while.**

**So yeah, this **_**might**_** be a pairing after all.**

**Irina and Xenovia are here… their timing precisely the same as in Canon and I have some words to say about them:**

**1) Irina: I've plans about her, Issei and Asia. I know people want to preserve AsiaXIssei purity, but I will have to do that just this once. It's not a full harem but Issei will be getting her as a second girlfriend… **_**with my powerful Magic!**_** (I will not pair her directly, I will make several chapters pass before focusing on this spot so… right now it's only Issei and Asia.);**

**2) Xenovia: She will not be part of any Harems but she will be a very important character in the story. I've a detailed storyline dedicated to her and it will culminate in her growth and peak.**

**Also new Milestone!**

_**Future milestone 1: 796 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**The Hoitsu vs Rizevim fight:**** Will be super epic and memey!**

**Guest-Questioner****: I can understand some little concern, but there is nothing to worry about. It will all converge back in DxD and- I think I already did reconnect with previous chapter and this one. (The attack on the Tepes Castle is Canon, but I altered some elements to twist the final objective of the plot and the characters present there).**

**Jalalfof5****: He will learn Touki, which is the thing Sairaorg uses.**


	42. Cooking Drama

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 42****: Cooking Drama**

* * *

If there was something that Kuroka started to love quite dearly in her new daily life, it was the chance of having a good sparring buddy to keep things incredibly interesting. While Bikou was particularly strong and funny with his mid-battle bantering, he lacked something that only Akua seemed to have.

The professional assassin was quiet, replying to offensive slurs only when she found these 'overboard' or 'too crass'. The battle-flirting was certainly limited, but the lack of words was compensated by the active presence of action.

Sure, the first spar they had turned to be a disastrous battle of attrition that ended up with both girls punished for their 'enthusiasm' but it gave both to the Nekoshou and the Vampire something to learn from.

Resourcefulness, high-adaptability, their connection transcended mere similar appearances and stemmed in their fighting abilities. Their second spar was moderated, a test of sort to see if they could be able to find some middle-ground for their training.

It was oddly relaxing for a fight and it concluded once the time limit they had planned prior to the match expired. Their mutual testing became more apparent during their third and fourth training sessions as both started to explore what unique skills could best be used to deal against the other.

Kuroka's magical arsenal, Youjutsu and Senjutsu were carefully used to see which could bypass Akua's swift and reactive guard, the fellow brunette's flexibility giving no little trouble at the Nekoshou but still urging her to try and try again as some good results were yielding too.

The vampire's experimentation was different than the cat-girl as her fighting style was a mix of multiple Eastern martial arts, both Chinese and Japanese. Thus her physical attacks were a chaotic variety of hits that pushed Kuroka to carefully analyze the situation while avoiding direct confrontations.

It was an equalized fighting, a compromise of two clashing sides that were keen to not incur in the wrath of the leader of the organization.

The Nekoshou still shivered at the memory of her sister's _kind_ hands while nursing her up and how a certain blonde kitsune would join in the _tort-_kind and helping attempt of her Imouto while following Koneko's _wise words_.

Akua was left to deal with Kahlua and she soon learned that what the tanned vampire knew about healing someone was… applying bandages. Several giggles and rolls of bandages later, the dark-haired girl found herself tied up like a mummy and unable to move for the rest of the hours set before she could get some _real help_.

Of course Hoitsu was terribly amused by the end of the punishment much to the humiliation of both girls, but after that they knew that if they moderated their attitude during spars… they could gain something interesting out of each other.

Especially from the post-fight chatting.

They would spend some of the time after the training to talk about… random things. Nothing too personal or anything, but somehow they would end up talking about their sisters.

Both women had uneasy relationships with their sisters, Kuroka having to deal with the cold edge in Koneko's voice while referring to her and none of the things she was trying seemed to be giving her anything positive, while Akua's warm relationship with her siblings was only returned to the fullest only by Kahlua, the rest of the family mostly uneasy to deal with the dark-haired assassin.

But it was right as they chatted about this topic that someone decided to butt in unannounced.

Smiling widely as her tails waggled mischievously, Kunou grinned as she stopped right in front of the two older females. "So you want to make up your relationship with your siblings?" At their nod she giggled. "Then I know how you can do it!"

…

"Didn't you say that you disliked me, Kunou-chan?" Kuroka asked with a suspicious tone and the blonde let out a sheepish look.

"I-I don't like how you were annoying Niichan, but I think that if you focused on Ko-senpai you will be able to… not annoy him too much." The little girl reasoned, then she turned to look at Akua. "And I know that you are a caring Neesan from Kahlua-nee's tales. That is why I think you should give it a try."

"And… that is, Kunou-san?" The vampire asked cautiously, feeling like something terrible was going to happen-

"A cooking challenge!" She exclaimed full confident in her plans. "If Kuroka makes Ko-senpai's favorite food and Akua-san did the same with her sisters back at that school, you will have a good gift to offer them!"

…

"But why a challenge?" The Nekoshou questioned out of curiosity. "Couldn't we just prepare the food calmly and carefully and-"

"Well, Niichan was going to be there and I thought that you both would have liked to show him how-"

"A challenge is our best chance, Akua-san." The woman stated determinedly. "Obviously for the Greater Good."

"I-Indeed?" The Vampire looked confused but she accepted nonetheless the offer for a handshake from the fellow dark-haired beauty. "I mean, it would be nice and… I wonder if Hoitsu-san-"

She didn't finish that sentence but her cheeks gained a brief blush.

"Then we are settled with the challenge." Kunou affirmed with a bright smile. "After you finished with your shower, we shall meet up by the kitchen and prepare for the lunch event."

"Lunch?" The assassin paused a moment with a confused look. "But if I want to send the food to Moka and Kokoa-"

"We can put some seals to keep the food warm and well-conserved." Kuroka smiled widely, patting her rival's shoulder. "May the best chef win, then… Akua-chan."

And yet for some reason, Akua felt irked at the words that were usually meant to encourage people now that they were sprouted by the Nekoshou's lips.

It sure was going to be an interesting… match.

* * *

'**I'm impressed that you aren't going to be part of the Jury.**'

_I think the focus of this challenge isn't me and, if I was one of the judges I would end up ruining their chances._

'**Still, I think that they will be a little angry at knowing you will be a mere spectator.**'

_They will have someone 'close to me' that will act at a pseudo-judge._

A few seats away, Shiranai smiled as he answered the Infinity Dragon's question about the event.

"So… what am I supposed to do here exactly?" Ophis asked with a curious tone, her eyes looking at Shiranai as the well-dressed smiled happily.

"Kuroka-san and Akua-san are going to compete in a cooking match and you will be one of the judges."

"So I will try their food? Can I eat it?" The goth girl asked with some little hope, getting a little head-pat just because she looked so adorable.

"Just the portion you are given. After that we will have normal lunch so you will have something else to eat." The young man explained and the girl smiled a little, nodding contently at the deal.

The jury was made by Ophis, Kahlua and Koneko as Kunou happily accepted the role as the announcer of this… event.

The kitsune smiled as she stood by the small podium near the little table where the three judges were going to grade the food given to them.

The two contestants were already donning aprons and had their own evenly-divided space in the kitchen so that no issue would be caused over the subject.

They had little rules and limitations about the food as to offer them the chance to offer their best dishes and… then it all began with Kunou's presentation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today we're here to see the fiery clash of two pretty and determined girls trying to make a stand for their ideals with their skills in cooking delightful food." The blonde stated loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Baki snorted as Kozue giggled by his side at the cute opening, Teru and Shu keeping quiet but seemingly interested over the even while Mob…_ continued to stare with a strange look at Ophis._

'**It could be because they share a similar affinity in Magic.**'

_They do? I thought Mob was-_

'**He isn't making use of magic, but the power he can use is fairly similar in nature to Ophis'. I think that is a strong reason to be concerned and… interested.**'

_...You mean that he is attracted to her?_

'**And she could be too, just not as potently and specifically as the boy is as she is a superior being.**'

Now that was… some big news, yet my attention quickly shifted back to Shiranai and… I saw the man staring steely at Mob, the boy suddenly averting his stare away with a minor blush.

This was going to be either a very amusing escalation or something to be concerned with in the near future…

My attention turned once more at Kunou, the girl beginning to describe the two challengers.

"A proud Nekoshou that strive in pure chaos, Kuroka Toujou has been living on her own hand-made food for years now because she found herself standing at odds with the Underworld's law. A cheerful individual that know how to give quick jabs while appearing friendly, she sure seems ready to dispense some delightful cuisine today."

There were some clapping, the blonde smiled and nodded at the small crowd before continuing.

"On the other side of the kitchen we have the elegant example of precision and caution, this young woman is well-versed in Chinese and old-style Japanese cuisine, but today Akua Shuzen will delight us with a daring move that represent the lovely devotion she directs every moment of her life to her family, something a little more western."

Kahlua clapped louder than before, causing her older sister to blush a little more than before as the pressure was now real on her.

"Without further ado, I proclaim the beginning of this glorious match of hearts." Kunou turned around and faced the two girls. "You may go!"

At the girl's sign to begin, they blitzed to the ingredients they had settled on the table and started to go through the first steps of their cooking plans.

But much to my surprise, the attention of the little announcer shifted away from mere commentary and focused on… the spectators.

Baki and Kozue replied politely at the questions regarding the match, keeping themselves neutral while bantering friendly with Kunou about her current role.

Then it was the turn of the two Naruse sisters. Mio was polite herself but the moment Maria started to talk, things got… strange.

"Kuroka-sama will obviously win." The silver-haired half-succubus replied with a small smile. "She is my newest idol and I know she will win this challenge-" She paused and glanced right at me with a bigger grin. "Like she will win _other important rewards_."

I shivered at the ominous proclamation and the redhead decided to pinch the cheeks of her younger sibling to show her… disappointment over the tones used by the younger girl.

"What about you, Suzuki-san? What are your thoughts over the-" Kunou tried to ask but was interrupted by the boy.

"Pass." Sho sighed tiredly. "I don't wish to contemplate who is going to win. I think I will reserve my judgment to when the food is delivered."

"Understood." The kitsune replied while keeping her cheerful tone up and moving on the blond boy sitting beside him.

"And what about you, Hanazawa-san?" She asked and getting a nod from him.

"I think… it will be a close draw." Teru declared calmly and with some conviction within his words. "The two ladies have two different cooking styles but I think their skill level is almost the same."

"A draw?" The girl hummed quietly before nodding. "I guess that could be one of the results and… what about you, Kageyama-san?"

The dark-haired teen blinked in surprise, appearing suddenly quite nervous.

"I-I think w-what matters is… why they are doing it." He stuttered a little, showing a shy face at being at the center of so much attention.

"You mean that no matter the result, they would still win?" The blonde guessed and her smile doubled at his nod. "That is a very nice thought, Kageyama-san."

He blushed and politely accepted her kind words.

Kunou then turned to the very last spectator and I sighed as she sat down on my lap.

"Who do you think is gonna win, Niichan?" She asked with a hint of curiosity and I blinked.

"I think they will both, Ku-chan." I started with a small smile. "You see, the most important thing is that they do well and feel happy with the results."

The girl nodded. "That's nice too." She rested on my chest as the competition went on for a while.

Until now I have been distracted by the cute announcer to see what was going on in the kitchen and… I was impressed by their good behavior.

Both were focused on their own dishes to try and sabotage the others, thus the chances of this ending well were… quite good.

The full hour ended with both girls having their dishes fully completed, the two appearing a little winded by the pressure but seemingly happy with what they managed to accomplish.

The food was divided in six plates, three for each, and served to the judges as the commentary about it began.

"An interesting choice, Kuroka-san, what did you decided to prepare today?"

The dark-haired Nekoshou smiled tiredly. "I decided to bring… an old recipe that my mother was keen to prepare once in a while."

The comment made Koneko stop a moment to stare at the plate, her eyes fixed on the dish for a little while before slowly nodding.

"I decided to prepare home-made takoyaki with a personal touch, a sprinkle of sugar added to the mixture of green onion and Beni Shogo. Mom decided to add it to the recipe because-"

"I didn't like it too spicy." The silver-haired girl finished quietly, her eyes still fixed on the food. "Mom was… kind enough to add some sugar to the mixture just to make sure I wasn't left out."

Her older sister sighed. "I remember being a little annoyed at the change but… I decided to let my little sister have her favorite food too." The young woman said while approaching the girl, noticing some tears building up and… they hugged.

There wasn't any particular noise other than some quiet sobbing, possibly because the food did… spark some unpleasant memory about the person the girl was thinking about. Kunou kept quiet as she knew that her 'senpai' needed some time to recover and the rest of the spectators shared this very thought all together.

The two seemed to share some whispered words before ending the embrace and Koneko proceeded to take a slow bite out of the first Takoyaki. She munched calmly and… then nodded.

"Y-Yes, it's- it's just like mom used to make them." The girl commented sadly but still smiled at her sister. "S-She would be proud."

"I-" Kuroka froze at the judgment and blinked, surprise and shock evident but the most curious of details was… the warm smile she directed at her younger sibling. "T-Thank you, Shirone-chan."

They both nodded at each other while the rest of the judges started to speak about the plate.

"It's… really good~!" Kahlua stated with a big smile, her cheeks bigger than usual as she went to try and devour three Takoyaki at once. "Can you make more of those next time, Kuroka-san?"

Ophis hummed happily, Shiranai eating calmly half of one of the two treats offered to the Infinity Dragon. "Delicious." She commented curtly.

The Nekoshou smiled, her cat ears twitching at the praisings she was receiving and then… turning her stare right at me.

_Oh no-_

Kunou jumped off my lap and freed the way as _I was tackled up by a cat-eared missile once more!_

"Gah!- _why_?"

She didn't speak, merely giggling and nuzzling on my chest as I tried to recover from the not-so-negligible pain coming from tanking a Nekoshou-sized cannon ball.

But the challenge was far from over and soon Kuroka moved out of my lap and into the seat beside mine, her head resting on my shoulder as we both looked at Akua.

The vampire was glancing our way for some moments before she returned her attention to the judges.

"What are you bringing up to the competition, Akua-san?" Kunou asked quietly and the young woman nodded.

"I decided to try my hand and… attempt to realize something a little less Eastern-based." She gestured at the dish on the plate and continued to explain. "This is a Salisbury steak with tomato sauce and french fries on the side."

Kahlua looked awed as she stared at her share. "If I remember correctly Moka-chan did say that she likes tomato juice and- I think Kokoa said she loved the food from that… fast food place."

The dark-haired girl nodded. "This is why I decided to bring this dish and see if I managed to get it right." She closed her eyes. "I want to offer both Moka and Kokoa a gift that is genuinely good and meaningful."

The tanned vampire nodded and took a bite out of the steak. Her eyes widened and she looked… the happiest. "This is sho good!" She grinned ear-to-ear and nodded.

"This is… really good." Shiranai commented, Ophis nodding in agreement.

"The potatoes were sweet, I like them." Koneko mused quietly and focusing on her share.

"Thank you." Akua replied with a small smile and… then turned at me.

I braced for any possible tackle but she merely walked towards me and stopped right in front of me.

"Can I..." She didn't finish the request that I let out a tired sigh and nodded.

"Fine, but just for few moments and-!"

She sat on my lap alright but her face was directed at mine and she was closing up towards my lips- _N-No wait, she is going for-_

_**Capu-chu~!**_

_-my neck!_

'**Seriously, I thought you would have been a little more careful about this little habit.**' Apophis chided quietly. '**It did seem like a running gag back at that school.**'

_O-Oh, just shut up!_

* * *

Their temporary shelter was a small unused house with several rooms to make use of, a boon offered to the Church years ago that they hadn't make use of until now.

After Irina left to buy some food for lunch, the short-haired girl decided it was time to continue with her tasks.

Xenovia coughed a little as she slowly got up from the floor and returned to target the auto-regenerating training dummy. Tightly held in her hands was a simple wooden long-sword, her stance perfected after so many years of training under Griselda Quarta.

Talking to her was… interesting, the woman approved of the plans the girl had for during her stay in this city and voiced her surprise at the current disposition of the Devil Faction's leadership.

Odd, but not truly shocking as Xenovia thought it to be as there were some regions governed like this.

Once more the kind woman was keen to remind her how tact was a must in this delicate mission as she was walking a fine line to start a new war. She knew this, she was calm.

**SHE WAS CALM.**

The girl yelled in frustration while throwing the training weapon to the ground and then she fell on her knees. Everything was turning complicated in her life.

It has been a dreadful crescendo ever since she received Durandal, bestowed by this honor after revealing her natural gift with swords. It didn't matter the size or the shape of the weapon, if it was a sword she was quick to pick up some pattern and _own_ the blade, make it hers.

But while common swords were easy to control, Durandal seemed to dislike her. Sure, Xenovia was able to use its powers without much of an issue but… every time she wielded it in a fight, may it be a real one or a spar, it just felt like she was doing something wrong.

It wasn't the posture, nor the stance and the steps of the attack and the defense. She felt… lethargic, as if facing some opposition from the blade, sheer refusal to be held by the girl.

And the worst thing was that the only advice she received was a just word: Patience.

For five long years she faced that simple notion, trying to understand the sword and try to compromise with it.

**But how was she supposed to compromise with something that didn't communicate back?**

A scowl was plastered on her face as she slowly got up, forfeiting the training weapon on the floor and making her way back to the room that was the temporary living room.

A messy place filled with two long couches and several closed cardboard boxes. She rested for just ten minutes, unable to catch real sleep as the unpleasant sensation of being still sweaty kept her from finding some peace.

Her next stop was the bathroom, quickly ditching her clothes after closing the door behind her and soon… warm water washed over her full body.

She decided to take it slowly, her mind at ease in the bathtub and soon her mind stormed her with questions, ideas and… doubts.

Hesitation wasn't acceptable as a noble paladin of the Church… but even someone as devoted as hers couldn't help but think at her childhood.

Taken as an apprentice by Griselda since she was four, her life had improved from the poor conditions of being an orphan growing in the streets but it was all compensated by the hours spend studying and training.

Just a few instances were of fond moments of relative peace and her guiltiest pleasure manifested in the form of a simple but weighed question.

**What if she was granted the chance of living a normal life?**

A life without being pressured in her role, without the heavy burden of her job and the constant threats all around her. It was an idyllic thought that she was scared to even confide to Irina.

They lived in two different worlds, no matter how close they were. She was voluntarily joining the difficult work, her determination long-proven to hers while also becoming a strong reminder of how things could have been.

Her thoughts scrambled, her eyes blinked thrice as a new wave of water washed over her head, cleaning off the shampoo she had brought to the bathtub.

Away from the dreamy and hopeful world she would have loved to live happily and without any heavy thought, her logical mind powerfully stood up and urged her the major reason she continued to go along this path.

**Duty.**

A duty to herself and her promises.

A duty to her mo-_Griselda. _(Blasted Lord Hoitsu for making her address her as such.)

A duty to the Church and…

_...a duty to Irina_.

The girl believed in her, her first and closest friend was always by her side in times of needs and…

It would have been right to just spit at her support. It felt wrong, vile to even think to do so.

The righteous path is never meant to be the easiest one, but for the sake of those believing in her and for the sake of believing in the Lord, Xenovia Quarta accepted the burden with a proud smile and soul.

Silently, the girl let the unclean water go down the drain and took the towel she had just outside the tub, her hair receiving a quick drying process before it was her arms', legs' and torso's turn.

The young woman left the bathroom with a determined smile and-

"_X-Xenovia! Put on some clothes!_" Irina shouted at her as she turned around to see her clotheless form.

But why would she be that much scandalized even after so much time spent together? Weren't they both girls?

* * *

**AN**

**The more I write Xenovia, the more I feel a little voice inside my head trying to give her a Shirou-esque mindset. I found it odd how she seemed to appear just like the protagonist of Fate Stay Night and how she is just… that dense.**

**Plus the whole Shirou's red hair and Xenovia's blue hair.**

**A bit above this segment I also hinted to a little opening about Kuroka and Koneko that I will explore next chapter. It's time to bring an end to the distance with the only thing that works in those cases: The truth!**

_**Future milestone 1: 796 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	43. Author Note - Get Troll'd!

**Author Note: Bored, tired and terribly disappointed.**

**This story is thereby put on permanent Hiatus. I will not write anymore because I'm incredibly done by the whole situation.**

**I don't think I will write anymore and focus on more important stuff as this is not just giving me anything anymore.**

**EDIT: If you are reading this, you have been hardcore trolled. I've been meaning to just rant this over by the AN of the chapter that is currently being written because of the many critics I've been having quite recently, but I decided to test something about the integrity of some people. The results were mostly unexpected and I was able to fully discern who was genuinely concerned by those that were just really pushing it far to get some giggles out of my suffering.**

**THIS AUTHOR AIN'T GIVING UP! I SHAN'T LET MY ENEMIES DEVOUR MY INTEGRITY! FOR PIZZA AND PASTAAH!**


	44. Darkening Clouds

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 4****3: Darkening Clouds**

* * *

Night fell over the Japanese Capital, Tokyo being still alive even as midnight struck and the lights all around made it a very interesting place-

"This is boring." The comment came out from Rizevim's mouth, the Lucifer blinking placidly while staring at the sight given by the height they were standing on. The Tokyo Tower has been secured just hours earlier silently and quickly as this was but the first step of their devious plans.

Shalba Beelzebub sighed tiredly and tried his hardest to not attack the infuriating heir to the Lucifer's seat in the _true _Four Satans council. "Kokabiel might be a weakling compared to us, but to consider his role of delaying young Vali 'boring' would be a disappointing-" The Devil tried to explain but was once more interrupted by the silver-haired man.

"I was referring to the fact we have yet to begin the operation." Rizevim almost facepalmed out of utter annoyance. "Man, you sure don't know how to catch the drift, Shalbie."

The Beelzebub's scowl twitched, fury building up as he continued to deal with this deranged individual. It was already difficult to believe that finally the man would be able to cooperate with the other_ rightful_ Satans, but Shalba was more confused by the very plan the Lucifer had passed to them.

It was a risky, bold attack that could seriously end up badly if they weren't quick enough to secure the objectives set by the very impatient Devil. Yet the rewards were endearing, seducing in their individual state and rendered the prime target of their collective greed over the power they could gain from those.

To obtain such an edge over the pretenders ruling so stupidly the Underworld was not only essential but also a necessity by their prides as true Devils.

There was no doubt about it and that is why three quarters of the whole Khaos Brigade was going to be deployed to succeed in this mission. The Hero Faction was blissfully left unaware of the grand battle that was soon going to happen here in Tokyo, their ambitions clashing way too much with the dual mindset of the Old Satan Faction and the Qlippoth.

"A pity that Euclid couldn't us for the occasion." Shalba mockingly addressed the lack of the loyal servant of the Lucifer. "Maybe next time he will be more careful to not be out-played by a pitiful human-_!_"

The Beelzebub had just enough time to turn his head away from the swift punch that he found his cheek cupped and patted in a friendly manner by Rizevim, eyes widening at the _grin_ on the fellow Devil's face.

It was rare to see the silver-haired joker look this much… infuriated by someone or something and the sight was far from pleasant even to someone like the brown-haired Devil.

"_Ickle Shalba, trying to appear all mighty and confident." _The Lucifer chuckled before turning to look once more at the sight of the city. "Euclid was just surprised, caught in the act. Just like you just a moment ago, ready to lose your head for… _nothing_."

Dread briefly froze Shalba's brain, but the man managed a nod. "Apologies, didn't wish to cause you _any distress_." His voice was well-composed but the narrowing eyes over his face were enough to unnerve him out from escalating the situation further.

"What a kind apology!" He sighed, still smiling as he continued to talk. "But sadly, I ain't him. Maybe you will do it personally, while bowing as lowly as your intellect is with that stick shoved up your-"

"_Anyway!_" The Beelzebub coughed with a seething look directed at the smug Lucifer, knowing that 'bickering' now of all times wasn't something they could allow themselves with. The invasion of the city imminent now. "I think we are almost ready-"

"Booring." Rizevim interrupted with a disappointed tone. "If it wasn't such a cliché villain move to attack the hero alone _and then_ send in the army, I would have put it in my plan."

"The Magician Faction need time to-" Shalba tried to reason but he was stopped by a frown coming from the Lucifer.

"Wait, you mean to tell me the reason why we aren't attacking is… the Magician Faction?!"

He could sense the rhetorical element in that question, but out of confusion and slight fear, the man proceeded to answer nonetheless.

"Yes?" Rizevim _facepalmed _at the answer, the following groan muffled by the hand pressed on his face.

"Oh for Pops' sake, of course we are ready then- Let's go and pay them a… what is it called?" The grin was once more on his face.

Shalba blinked at Rizevim's question. "A visit-"

"A beating, yes." The man chuckled, deploying his Devilish Wings and taking off with his attention directed at a specific section of the city. "I will go and pay them a beating." A giggle resonated as he rushed quickly away from the location and right where he _needed to be_.

With those words, the entirety of Qlippoth began the assault, the servants of the Old Satan Faction forced to follow shortly after much to Shalba's chagrin, but the Devil didn't move at first as he continued to stare at the retreating Lucifer with an enraged snarl deepening in his face.

An upstart from the very beginning of their rightful war, someone that disgustingly waddled in the mud that was 'modernity' and 'personal greed' rather than traditions and royal rights.

_But there are ways to deal with someone like him._Shalba reminded himself, the dark thoughts that were centered around the crazy monster that was Rizevim Lucifer strong enough to give him a reason to go forwards and…

_**Grasp the victory for himself!**_

* * *

I admit I never thought that I would have to wake up in the middle of the night at the sound of several explosions happening all around the city. I woke up instantly, panic and paranoia being what got me out of my sleepy self and urged me to see what was going on.

Kunou woke up the very moment I did and was quick to follow me around as we quickly put on proper clothes and rushed to the closest window.

The previously dark-clouded sky of Tokyo was now red at the fiery fires spreading all over the buildings. Screams were filling up the silence as monsters of various kind struck without hesitation, mercilessly and… almost aimlessly.

_**This can't be a simple attack. Too many attackers and the city is important too.**_

This was happening so suddenly and I was given too little time to properly think-

The moment I reached down the staircase, I was confronted by Baki, the rest of the group already dressed and ready to go and help around.

"Hoitsu-san, I need to check on Kozue a-and-" The Hanma began talking but I interrupted him quickly with a calm but stuttering tone.

Being shaken this much can do that.

"I-I will send you and someone else to-" I nodded frantically, ready to give out the plans for the defense but was interrupted by the vibration of my phone, the device quickly in my hands and displaying the newly-received message.

"It's the guards keeping a lookout for Kozue-san, she and her mother were already evacuated." I explained swiftly, getting a relieved sigh from the brunet but also a serious look on his face. The promise to make some people suffer for this uncalled assault was stark in his eyes.

We all regrouped by the living room and I started to dispense some orders about the defensive perimeters.

"Kuroka. You, me, Baki-san, and Teru-san will deal with the 'head'." I got some nods from the mentioned members and some frowns too, Kunou being the most displeased by the fact she wasn't in the same time as mine, but I couldn't have her in the main strike force.

"Akua, you will have Mio, Sho, and Kahlua. Your objective is to assist the evacuation of civilians and assist the any reinforcement from Grigori." The dark-haired vampire was already moving towards the door, the group of people mentioned following closely as I addressed the last members left without a team.

"Kunou-" Her fox ears perked at being named the captain, but I knew well-enough that she was the best prepared for this plan. "You will have Koneko, Maria, Mob-"

I paused a moment as I saw someone lifting their hands up and I glanced at-

"_-Ophis?_"

_**WHAT?!**_

The dark-haired girl blinked and nodded, silently walking towards Kunou and stopping by her side.

"Phis?" The blonde looked surprised too. "I thought you went back home-"

"I tried to." The Infinity Dragon muttered. "But I couldn't break through a barrier just outside the headquarters."

…_Oh no! We have to move before-_

The massive window that gave off to the sight of the city broke instantly as someone I was dreading to encounter decided to step in, the silver-haired man standing now without his Devil wings and smiling amused at the scene he was bestowed with as the reactions of everyone still present could be condensed in a single expression:

_**Oh shit!**_

"Hello there!" He proclaimed happily and with a familiar tone, one to which the reply was given out of instinct.

"General Ke- Wait, what?"

The Lucifer tensed at my half-reply, his smile giving way to an awed look.

"Y-You- You are a fellow memester!"

_Shit, this is too early in the everything to be happening._

_**Brace for impact, this bastard is going to be super-crazy to deal with.**_

"Yes! Pops would have been a proud Memelord and you-"

He pointed right at me, his eyes glowing with power.

"You are just like him… _but then again you aren't his reincarnation!_"

_**ゴ**_  
_**ゴ**_  
_**ゴ**_  
_**ゴ**_

I gulped nervously at the wave of raw energy coming from Rizevim, having only imagined how he would have sounded and be like- but this wasn't certainly something I had planned to ever face.

"K-Kunou, you will join up with Akua-"

"Sadly, Ophis can't leave the place, buddy." The Devil interrupted with a minor sigh. "She is kind of important for some rich boys and girls, like they want to take her powers and all of that."

…

"W-Why are you even spoiling your plans?!" I blurted out, the more I spoke with the man, the more I felt my brain hurt at how much cringe this was starting to begin.

"'My' plans?" The Lucifer parroted softly. "Ophis isn't certainly a target of mine, I just said that it was the plan for the three morons leading the rest of the assault."

The Old Satan Faction? It was a canonical thing to do, just not at this early and-_ it should have been Rizevim's ambition too!_

'**His power is… be careful, this will not be an easy battle. I don't think we can even win this one.**'

_**He is a Super-Devil and he is proving to be crazy enough to adopt multiple plans at once mid-fight, only careful planning will-**_

"But alas my warning is just like a mere 'no-entry' sign, you may or may not respect it." He shrugged, his smile never faltering. "I don't care if Ophis remain free or not, I need to try and see_ what are you and why you look like dad_."

I blinked, waiting a few moments as I silently weighed the situation.

_An all-out attack would fail, I__** know**__ he is faster than me and I would waste my energy in a single hit._

_**We need to get the others out before they get caught in the battle.**_

'**I also sense fellow Dragons lurking around. I think… they managed to resurrect them somehow.**'

I sighed tiredly and glanced back at the remaining people behind me. "Kunou, your group will join up with Kuroka and her team. Help her with the main task and_** don't look back**_."

She almost jumped in surprise at my tone but nodded, eyes twitching as I could see tears.

"I will be fine. Just be careful." Her shivering stopped just a moment and she gave a meaningful nod before leading the rest of the members out of the building while I deal with the grinning man in front of me.

"Why don't we make it spicier?" He spread his arms open, showing himself completely unprotected and ready to be hit. "Bring out your best quotes and we shall turn this in a fun day for the two of us."

_**To be fair, I don't think Rizevim could have been this much…**_

_Carefree?_

_**Demented.**_

I sighed again, this time staring angrily at the man and starting to walk towards him. "Rizevim!"

He blinked, surprised by this turn of events, but he was quick in realizing the reference and he sighed happily.

"Oh? You are approaching me, Hoitsu-kun?" He asked with an amused tone, a smug smirk visible in his face. "Instead of running away at the mere knowledge that Azazel failed to even land a serious hit on me, failing just like a little child trying to bring down a tall tree with a little kick?"

"I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer." I replied with a determined tone, gaining a snort from the man.

"Oh ho! Then come as close as you like." And thus he started to walk towards me, ready to conclude this little act with the little clash of 'stands'.

He prepared a punch and threw it slowly. "**MUDA-**"

His face twisted in shock and surprise as my fist slammed right under his chin, my armored form already achieved as I sent him flying away from the building while giving chase with my propeller-wings aiding me in the flight. "**ORA~!**"

The Lucifer's smile widened even more, turning mad as he started to cackle at the sight of my new form. "T-That isn't a Sacred Gear! And yet it's similar, I can tell!"

I growled, the **Twilight Joker **armor reinforcing my entire being as I rushed towards him.

He dodged the first attack but was quickly forced to block the various hits I would send his way. His smile twitching in minor pain, but I knew that he had yet to show his full power.

"Impressive! You could easily contest Azazel in terms of power right now, especially with the constantly growing energy within yourself." He rolled away from a kick and tried to return the favor by launching a Dark-Type spear back at me. "The more we fight, the more you will get stronger!"

_W-What is he talking about?_

'**The seals might be preventing the Draconic energy from leaving the gauntlet, but the energy that you gain from this triple synchronization is still mine, filtered and rendered unable to turn you in a Dragon.**'

_**Yet… your reserves will grow the more energy is pumped in them. The growth isn't fast enough to make up to the draining effects of this form, but your body will still become stronger and stronger.**_

"This is so amazing! This is actually the first time I saw something like this happening in front of me and-" Rizevim blinked and chuckled. "Oh boy, I was letting myself go a little too much around you. I think it's time to step up our little game."

I flinched at those words… and then at the punch slamming right onto my armored face. The material groaned but held against the powerful attack, giving me the chance to counter this sudden escalation of aggressiveness.

The cackling was still there and I was starting to see how big the difference was between him and me. He was just far stronger than I was, faster and even more resilience as he was tanking some blows from me and I wasn't holding anything back.

"C'mon! You need to hit harder than this if you want to survive!" The Lucifer yelled as he delivered a kick right in my guts. "Hit me harder-"

He gave me an uppercut and sent me flying. "DADDY!"

_**I am fucking hating this piece of trash! And we have two more minutes before we are left without the armor.**_

_Then we will hit him the hardest!_

Snarling, I returned once more to the assault and the man's smile lessened as my stance changed from the previous one. Then his eyes widened. "You are planning something, I can see that-" My punch pressed deep in his stomach before sending him away for a moment.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are annoying!?" I screamed at him and he merely laughed in response.

What an infuriating bastard!

The Super-Devil looked ready to continue, barely winded by the battle until now and- I decided to step up my own game.

"**Kaioken times 2!**"

The sudden burst of new energy and the new drain on my muscles were good enough to wake me up from the tiredness of getting my ass whooped this easily.

Rizevim gasped as I zeroed the distance and started to barrage him with a flurry of punches and kicks, kneeling him just once as I moved a little bit away, just enough distance for the final act of this fight.

"**Kamehame-!**"

I felt the blue orb forming, I could feel my reserves coming close to zero and-

"**HA!**"

The beam rushed at the recoiling Devil, a wide-eyed expression on his face as the attack struck onto his body and a blinding light engulfed the entire city.

I let go of both the Kaioken and the **Twilight Joker**, instantly free-falling towards my ultimate demise.

I tried to move but my body refused to comply, the strain it suffered beyond anything I've ever felt before and my mind over-loaded by a sudden headache to actually formulate any thoughts.

My eyes slowly closed and I accepted this defeat with a lone sigh.

But as I lost all the hopes of surviving that fall, I felt the wind rustling and a sudden pressure materializing in the form of a… **big red dragon-like armor **coming to the rescue.

"S-Senpai, I got you."

Issei? I was glad, I was…

_**And in that moment my consciousness faded into nothingness, the toll over my whole being finally putting me to sleep.**_

* * *

_**Few minutes earlier, Kuoh Town…**_

**Vali POV**

Kokabiel died in mere moments, the Fallen Angel too much of an arrogant fool to understand that the odds of matching against Divine Dividing were abysmal.

It was an easy kill considering also that the prideful man had been weakened prior to his arrival, the culprit being the current holder of the Boosted Gear. The reports about Issei Hyoudou and the previous encounter were suddenly rendered outdated by the power his Balance Breaker was exuding.

It was strong, much stronger than few weeks earlier and Albion almost drooled at the idea of matching up against his rival in an equal fight. An odd notion since both young men hardly cared to entertain the idea of fighting one another, their reasoning different but the only connecting topic being all and the same. Hoitsu Sakakibara.

Vali sighed and relaxed in his Scale Mail while he contemplated if he should entertain the group of Devil led by Sona Sitri that contained bits of the Gremory's peerage. Just as he was about to compliment the strength of his fellow Sacred Gear holder, his heightened senses caught a sudden spike of energy, causing him to snap his attention to look… far away.

His reaction was copied by the young brunet, possibly feeling this sudden energy pattern that was much stronger than anything they had seen.

Someone descended between the two and the Lucifer blinked at seeing Baraqiel there… with a young blonde by his side. Was that the young girl Hoitsu saved back at the Gremory Mansion?

"What is going on?" An imperative question the Fallen Angel felt hesitant to answer… but still did.

"Tokyo is under siege." The man replied curtly. "The city was assaulted by the Khaos Brigade and-"

"S-Someone is fighting Hoi-nii a-and-!"

A seal formed underneath Baraqiel, Vali and Issei rushing towards it and… Akeno did the same.

"Akeno-san." Sona tried to stop the girl but… paused herself as the Himejima paused to glance back at her. Much indecision, her conflicting thoughts making the pause extend for a while before she truly answered.

The Sitri sighed. "Make sure he is safe." She asked, much to the surprise of Kiba and some of her own peerage.

A nod was what confirmed such promise and the girl jumped inside the circle as a great light _shifted_ them out of Kuoh Town and…

In a war-zone.

Monsters of various kinds were storming the checkpoint, the area under control of a mix of Grigori's and Hell's personnel that were quickly aiding the various heavy hitters in the area.

Vali could see Sirzechs battling against the Asmodeus claimant while Serafall dealt with her 'role' counterpart. In the distance he could also see Ajuka and Falbium dealing with large hordes of magicians and Yokais.

This was what a real battlefield was supposed to look like, the city in ruins after the first assaults of the siege but the reinforcement was effectively kicking back the aggressors out of the capital.

But just as the host of the Divine Dividing was about to approach Azazel, the Fallen Angel directing some of the men in the reserve lines, a blinding light took them by surprise.

The Lucifer squinted rapidly, eyes quickly growing accustomed to the sudden illumination and his attention was fully taken by _someone_ falling from the sky. He could see smoke as another being started to free fall but his eyes were all to the youngest of the two.

Ready to jump, it was the owner of the Welsh Dragon that rushed to the rescue of the seemingly unconscious Hoitsu and Vali felt annoyed at the situation.

It was _his rival_ and he should have been quicker than merely stare like a fool as he fell. But knowing that showing annoyance at the circumstance would have favored him the least, the boy turned his attention at the other falling figure and his eyes narrowed in silent hatred-

"Vali." Azazel called out for him and he was suddenly taken away from thinking from his possibly dead grandfather. It didn't matter if he died by his hands or not, the important thing was… the present. "We need you to go and help out the group led by Akua Shuzen, she should be by the outskirts of the Nerima Ward."

The Lucifer nodded and started to fly towards the section of the city described by the Governor-General, while his mind slowly thought about Hoitsu and how the curious human managed to actually reach that impressive level of power.

_**Meanwhile, with a certain crazy memester...**_

Rizevim coughed blood as he tried to get off the ground.

His clothes were mostly torn, destroyed by his opponent's mighty attack.

Something he should have expected, the fact he had literally softened his skin to let some of the damage pass through, for the sake of the fight's thrill, and that quickly came to bite his ass.

A chuckle tried to go through his teeth, but his aching chest forbade him from going through with his 'plan'. Instead a groan was allowed, a sign of his current suffering state and… he didn't like being this bruised.

Shaking a little, he managed to stand up and the Lucifer was ready to walk away from the zone before being caught in the crossfire, feeling that his current mission was accomplished for now.

He managed just few steps before being forced to duck away from a blade of purplish light, rolling away as the weapon was then promptly move to come crashing down where he once was. The man coughed a smile as he stared at a familiar face.

"S-Shalbie, didn't see you in a long time now." He bantered mirthfully much to the Beelzebub's chagrin. "What g-got you this pissed? The beating you received from Ajuka or being forced to retreat while riding on a small werewolf?"

The enraged man paused just a moment to frown. "Y-You saw that?"

"I sure d-did." Rizevim commented calmly. "D-During my own fight, I was thinking of c-calling you B-Bella because of the whole long, brown-hair a-and werewolf gig you were pulling."

A snarl preceded another set of attacks all of those failing to get any damage on the highly-reactive Devil. "T-Tough luck, Bells." The silver-haired man taunted, then a serious look appeared on his face. "D-Do you think that there c-could be an open McDonald right now? I c-could go for a Crispy McBacon, i-if you catch my drift."

Once more, Shalba paused with a confused and exasperated look. "W-What-!?"

His entire body tensed as a blade pierced through his chest from behind, the Beelzebub claimant coming crashing down on the ground and off the blade held by an annoyed Euclid Lucifuge.

Dispelling the weapon, the younger Devil crouched and picked up the wounded Rizevim in his arms in a bridal carry, causing the Lucifer to cough a bloody chuckle at the scene.

"Y-You know I don't swing that way, Eu-"

"Finish that sentence, milord, and I will drop you here and now." The man interrupted, showing his irritation directed at Rizevim.

"R-Rough but still caring." The smile was there as the two moved towards a magical circle. "B-By the way, is there a McDonald nearby-"

"Already brought you two Crispy McBacon with big-size french fries and enough BBQ sauce for those, milord." Euclid sighed tiredly while nodding.

"M-My hero." The Lucifer commented happily. "My e-effeminate siscon o-of a hero."

The Lucifuge merely frowned, having long given up trying to stand up to the eccentric attitude of his lord. At least his usual mentioning of Grayfia wasn't as bad as-

"A-Also I have seen S-Sirzechs around, maybe there is your love interest around t-too-"

The circle worked quickly as they were suddenly taken away from the dangerous area and back to the HQ, fast enough for Euclid to hide away the murderous need to cease his lord's existence with a simple pillow.

What an infuriating Devil.

* * *

**AN**

**Unexpected Action Chapter? Check.**

**Forcing part of my readers to shix brixs by announcing troll discontinuation of this story? Check.**

**Kill Shalba and most of the Khaos Brigade to create new group with canon DxD antagonists? Check.**

**Pointing out how much of a siscon Euclid is? Check.**

**I think we are done with this and… yep, I think I will collapse back to bed now.**

**For those who are in need of some explanation regarding my Troll AN: It's been a few days now that I've seen some strange Followers fluctuation and weird comments all around, so I decided to test the integrity of those who were criticizing this story. I was intrigued by the results (which are a secret for now.) and now I think I will proceed with the next Volume of the plot. **

**Yes, it's Volume 4 and it will be happening in Kuoh Town. With Tokyo destroyed, Kuoh is the best location to house the Omega Initiative, at least until the original headquarters are repaired (which will happen much after the story).**

**Now that there is only the Hero Faction to pick the pieces of what is left of the mostly-disbanded Khaos Brigade, their interest will shift away from pure chaos to… selling their services to certain deities.**

**And while the KB continue to exist with Cao Cao as the main leader, Rizevim will still be a… threat? His appearance in the Volume 4 is confirmed but the role he will have in it will be… surprising. Some of his words in this chapter should be weighed as they contain some meaningful messages about Hoitsu and his connection to Lucifer and- no, he isn't Lucifer himself.**

_**Future milestone 1: 796 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Fuyuhara Sora****: As a writer, it's for the story's best interest that I manage to mix Fluff/Character building with Action. Sometimes the MC will make space for some character to shine, kind of how it works in the DxD spin-off chapters.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: I answer when there is someone asking something or if they are guessing a particular theory. Maybe a long comment. I can't inflate chapters with the RQ&A.**

**Blaze2121****: This story is shining as brightly as I started it. I don't see the point in correcting the fact you mentioned two chapters of development to condemn this entire story. Guess you will not be around to see its epic conclusion and I'm sorry to know that you are forced to let go. I hope you will find happiness in the future then!**

**RedBurningDragon****: There is an Arc in the Manga, the 'triple ?' arc where Mob is hit by a car and forced in his 'Triple ?' form. He literally causes tornadoes by merely walking and absorb all energy around him.**

**And for those that are reading to this point and don't see me replying to your reviews****: I've long learned to reply to those who are: 1) asking questions; 2) giving out something meaningful (about the story itself); 3) theorizing about the plot. I read every single one of you, some brighten my days, others just bring me down for few moments, but in the end I care for all my readers. I hope to see more from everyone!**


	45. Recovery and Interdiction

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 44****: Recovery and Interdiction**

* * *

Four days have passed since the massacre of Tokyo and Azazel could only tiredly sigh as he finished reading the latest report of the capital's situation.

Covering up the attack on Tokyo had been a job that required a tremendous amount of effort from the Three Factions. The city was quickly rebuilt all thanks to the combined effort of Devils and Fallen Angels, while the Angels took care of dealing with the public and the survivors to the assault.

Correcting some major mass media outlets, mass-hypnotizing a large number of people and then finally make sure to properly help in the passage of the souls to the afterlife proved to be something as astonishing as draining over Michael's sanity.

Even Gabriel was deployed to help around her fellow Angels but the girl would still make some time to visit the makeshift hospital were Hoitsu was currently resting.

The boy was stable, the battle against Rizevim proving to be an extensively straining situation that brought him once more close to dying. While his new 'Balance Breaker'-like form was able to absorb most of the damage, some of the hits did crack some bones and made some cuts all over his body.

His muscles were in a critical state for hours before the effort of good medics from Heaven and Grigori brought him out of the life-threatening situation, the presence of the Twilight Healing user also hastened the process of stabilizing the young man's body.

And while the aftermath turned out to be less complicated than expected, Heaven finally saw some reason within Azazel's words regarding the need to convene a proper negotiation with the other deities.

The time to appease was over, the Khaos Brigade was still a menace to the entire world, no matter the loyalty to a faction or another. Rizevim was still alive and some of the monsters loyal to the chaotic group was still on the lose, possibly ready to rejoin within the Hero Faction and continue with their disruptive activities.

But there was something to be happy about from this situation, the Governor-General mused over with a certain interest, and that was how Ophis decided to forfeit her allegiance to her own organization. Some might say it was out of distrust or because she wanted to take revenge for this brutal attempt that would have seen her captured, but the truth turned out to be… amusing.

After the medics had finished with the still-resting Hoitsu, his room was swarmed by people mostly attached to the Omega Initiative.

Ophis was always in the proximity of the boy's bed, same for Yasaka's daughter, Kuroka's sister, and young Maria Maruse. Other girls stayed around for a while during their visits but their focus shifted to a very… vengeful state.

While interception missions to try and catch some of the surviving monsters were mostly manned by Grigori's associates, Kuroka, Akua, Mio, and Akeno were quickly accepted within the temporary force intended to complete these tasks.

Akeno and, surprisingly enough, Mio proved to be the more brutal individuals of the small group, hunting down actively any of the surviving attackers, either torturing them or brutally butchering them without hesitation.

It was an edge from the eldest Naruse that Azazel thought the girl hadn't inherited by her father, the man known to be particularly violent against those that threatened his family, an instance even saw him erase two minor Hell's clans in a single week.

Speaking of relatives of the Lucifer's clan, Vali visited just once the unconscious human, glancing silently at his sleeping form before deciding to join the garrison's duty over the city as it was being rebuilt.

He didn't comment the current predicament, nor he made any remarks that were usual to him. Soon the rest of his team joined him in his duties, but not even the few teens were keen to answer to simple questions from him.

An odd display of emotion from the young holder of Albion, one that seemed so… strange for him to show.

Issei Hyoudou did the exact opposite, paying several visits to the hospital before returning back to Kuoh Town with his girlfriend, just to make sure the older boy's recovery was assured and undergoing well.

It was a gloomy situation, but the morale wasn't dropping too much low for everyone to abstain from doing some proper work. Good people of Grigori had perished in the defense of the city, but the common feeling was only one: heal and counter-attack.

Revenge, revenge against the despicable enemy that deemed it right to attack civilians, innocents without any restraints in an attempt to drag everyone in a new war. Unforgivable for the Three Factions and also for other Pantheons.

Hunger for war was now present within this generation, but the target was small, minuscule compared to other enemies and thus the worries Azazel felt regarding the length of this war were incredibly little and-

A bright light covered the little room the Fallen Angel was using as his office, causing him to close his eyes and prepare himself for a fight when… a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

He was wearing a simple business set of clothes, nothing particularly special except the _insane amount of power hiding within his body_. Just a minor glance was enough to make the Governor-General jump in shock at the powerful being in front of him.

The strangest detail was that he looked just like that… 'darkness' from Hoitsu, that _Shiranai_.

"Oh, I'm finally here. Good." The young man smiled and nodded, Azazel's eyes narrowing on him.

"W-Who are you?"

The smile faltered, some embarrassment glowing through the stranger's features before he schooled himself a proper poker-face.

"Right, I'm John Shinihachi and you… are Azazel, correct?"

"T-That's my name." The Fallen Angel replied, trembling a little at the insane energy held within this being. Was he even human? He didn't felt like a real Deity or any other supernatural beings the man has ever seen.

"Good, then I think I will be able to deal with this issue before my wife and kid question about my disappearance… I need to tell you about some of the things you will have to deal after this little clash-"

"An entire capital is almost decimated and you call it a 'little clash'?" Azazel questioned, feeling aggravated by the way the grave event was labeled by this 'Shinihachi'.

"For someone that fought over planets and went against some planet-busters, I can assure you the term I used wasn't to diminish the gravity of the lives lost in the battle, but compared to my past years? It's small." He explained, failing to get the Governor-General to stand down. "Alas, we've little time left and I seriously don't want to deal with another apocalyptic predicament with my wife. She can get _terribly cranky _when I'm not around and I don't want my daughter to cry too."

"Then speak, I'm not here to-"

"The Khaos Brigade isn't your worst enemy." The 'human' interrupted calmly, drawing a frown from Azazel. "There are some deities ready to make some political wars very soon and they will use the new emotion going through everyone's mind to just spark the blast. Indra and Hades can't be trusted and… I would have someone keep an eye on Loki too."

"And how am I supposed to trust you? You could be one of their lackeys-" The Fallen Angel asked skeptically, drawing a long, tired sigh from the 'Shiranai-like' figure in front of him.

"Really? A lackey? You could have said, I don't know, one of those 'Villains'? Maybe I'm a manipulative mastermind and-" Another sigh left his lips and he nodded. "Look, just tell Hoitsu to train- to train _really, really hard_ because this is but just the beginning of some difficult stuff. For the rest, I think you and the other leaders can do on your own without the need of someone carrying you to victory."

He held two fingers up, smiling as light engulfed him. "Peace, Azzie, and tell Hoitsu that he needs to get laid soon or later." A final chuckle and some words as he vanished away. "People might be thinking wrong things about it after all."

...Azazel blinked, once more alone in his makeshift office, his mind trying to deal with the whole 'strange messenger' predicament he just experienced and… he sighed tiredly.

"Fuck it, I'm going to get shit-faced with some booze."

He moved away from the paperwork and walked towards the door.

"This isn't just the day nor the lifetime to deal with this encounters of the bullshit-kind."

* * *

My head was ready to explode right as I regained bearing of my whole self. My brain was close to just quit life itself and my body felt oddly strained by some weights over my chest and legs.

Maybe I had… some heavy bandaging going? I could still remember the beating I got from Rizevim, way too memorable to just forget so easily, but I was unsure how things then unfolded.

I remember being carried away by Issei in his Scale Mail Armor, yet I don't think I was sure about the 'how' and 'when' did he arrive. There was confusion, clarity but still some massive confusion about what happened 'after the beating'.

_**Lots of weird stuff. Let's just say that we aren't alone right now.**_

_Do I have to fear waking up or can I just glance around to understand where am I?_

_**No lewd nor gruesome scene around, you may take a peek right now.**_

And so I did. My eyelids opened slowly, the light of the room something I had yet to get accustomed too but I was swift in catching the figures sleeping soundly over my body.

Kunou was sprawled over my chest, her head tilted as to not have her ears cause any distraction to my chin while also having her arms wrapped around my chest.

Koneko was sitting on a chair beside the bed and nuzzling on the free space left on my chest, I could see her tail waggling slowly but determinedly.

Then my eyes saw Ophis, the girl literally between the edge of the bed and my body, pressing on my side as she rested her head on my shoulder. She looked ready to wake up but… she seemed to be genuinely enjoying that awkward position.

_**Hopefully the sweetie isn't getting any soreness from being squished like that.**_

After finishing studying the whole situation, I turned my attention to… a pair of golden eyes staring back at mine. Kunou blinked, surprise perfectly visible in her face as she realized that I was awake.

I smiled and was about greet her but I was interrupted as she literally headbutted me right in my forehead. The impact was short and harmless, but I flinched as she gave me the harshest of glares.

"Y-You almost died." She yelped, her own forehead sporting a bump now. "A-again and-"

I didn't let her finish, my free arm moving to bring her closer to me as I ruffled her hair. Her eyelids half-closed, but a determined look made me realize she wasn't going to let go this matter.

Just like that time.

"And you are fine." I smiled calmly. "At least I was the only one that messed up, eh?"

She snorted softly, but didn't restrain herself from enjoying the warmth of the embrace. "You are a moron, Niichan."

My smile widened. I never heard an insult sound so much… delightful.

"And you are a lovely girl." Her eyes narrowed at the compliment.

"I will train from now on." She proclaimed quietly. "I will become stronger, stronger than you so..."

"So I can make my rescue attempt more epic-"

"N-Niichan, I don't want to see you get hurt-"

"And I wouldn't like the opposite case to happen. I don't wish to see my little imouto hurt by some demented idiots out there."

She giggled and closed her eyes. "Kogane-tan shall beat Hekishoku."

"_But also not_."

We both smiled. It's been a while now since we shared a little moment and… God, I missed it. I missed the peace of being back home, minding my own business and intervening when necessary. I thought the mask of Hekishoku would have worked, that I would have been able to enjoy the quiet life of a normal student… but my power kept growing.

By becoming stronger, and pissing of Murphy, I got forced to give away my identity, I was forced to enter the dreadful chessboard the various deities and supernatural beings were happy to make use in their conflicts, either against unknown threats or each other.

Kunou had been in this system because her mother was important, she never enjoyed the chance of growing up normally and have some good friends. Getting to live in my house offered her this chance… initially.

She was happier, she was safer. And now she is stuck with me in this massive war in the making.

And I've come closer to die.

If I had died back against Dohnaseek or Raynare? It wouldn't have done much of a difference. I wasn't important and just a few tears would have been given as a reaction.

But now I was sure of one thing. If I died against Rizevim, I would have messed up the world even further. Not only it would have meant Issei or Vali stepping up to take the mantle of facing those troubles, but it would have also meant the complete disband of the Omega Initiative.

The latter ripple wasn't out of arrogance, but from Azazel's very words. 'There is nobody in Grigori that could have done it better'.

Nobody within the organization would be able to fit the bill to assemble an effective force, something to counter the growing danger left by Khaos Brigade… without trying to take over Grigori itself in a fit of power-mongering.

I had to be careful. The people I knew, those I cared for, there were so many of them.

I managed to get myself entangled with so many characters that… I was now afraid of what would happen_ after_ I was killed. The scenarios were all dreadful, none truly worth of even thinking about without getting guilty.

Sighing, I felt the other two girls shifting in their sleep and… Ophis' stared right at me, the girl squeezing her small arms around my waist without hesitation and making me chuckle.

"I'm alright." I tried to ignore Kunou's pout and the Infinity Dragon frowned.

"You were almost gone." The dark-haired girl said blankly. "I would have missed you."

I could feel Shiranai choke on those words.

_**I think I might have… to cry a little.**_

_Can you do it in your corner?_

_**S-Sniff, I will t-try.**_

"And I… would have missed you too." I patted her head and she proceeded to press against the warm palm.

It was in that exact moment that I felt someone tugging from the other side and I saw Koneko pouting at the interactions, her cat ears twitching in annoyance at the lack of affection.

I sighed and I moved my hand away from Kunou's head and into Koneko's… the blonde pouting instantly the moment she stopped being petted.

"N-Niichan!"

_I-I've two hands!_

_**And sadly, a very big heart, bigger than what your two hands can do.**_

"Mhh… What about..." I smiled deviously as I stopped head-patting and… _proceeded to scoop the three of them in a big hug, bringing them all together_.

Kunou giggled, Koneko's smile twitched and Ophis seemed to be in her happy place by being in that warm bundle of people.

I chuckled a little, enjoying just that precious moment after enduring some nasty beating and-

The door opened, Kuroka stepping inside while looking clueless and… froze at the scene. I blinked, ready to give some explanation about the situation, but soon Akeno, Akua, Kahlua and… _the entire Omega Initiative _entered inside, Baki's girlfriend too.

They all stared down, some amused smile entertaining their faces as I felt a tad bit nervous as the predicament.

"T-That's so cute!" Kozue proclaimed, picking up her phone and starting to take photos of the scene as the other girls chuckled with each other.

"Ara, Ara~ Hoitsu-kun sure is a lovely big brother." Akeno complimented, Kuroka nodding right at her.

"Yes, and now I can't help but wonder how it will be when he will become a parent." The Nekoshou 'wondered' loudly for everyone to hear.

Akua looked thoughtful over the comments. "Hoitsu… a parent." She stared right at me and nodded to herself. "A strong and good father."

Once more I opened my mouth, blushing madly as I was finally ready to explain how things had turned out like this when I saw someone in particular making steps toward the bed, looking smug and determined.

Maria was _smiling_, her approach slow but certain as her eyes were fixed on my plight as she shaw the chance of doing some… intervention. I paled a little and tried to stutter out something.

"M-Maria, please-" I tried to protest but she seemed adamant in proceeding with her idea.

"Hoitsu-sama." She said in a clear and serious voice, ignoring my pleas of not going ahead with her plan. "I, Maria Naruse, have a dream."

I paused, frowning at her words and slowly connecting it to the proper reference.

_**Seriously, are we causing an outbreak of Jojo's references?!**_

"Y-You have read Jojo Part 5?!" I exclaimed, feeling dread and cringe mixing as she giggled happily, looking ready to make her move any moment now.

"I learned from Kuroka-sama that Jojo is a powerful inspiration and now I am convinced of it myself."

And then, _she jumped right onto the bed, beginning what could be described as the Third World War._

"_Wry~!_"

Kunou, supported by Koneko, tried to push away the perverted Half-Succubus, only ending up to get her fairly close to my face where she started to kiss my neck, panic rising beyond the normal limit.

This wasn't a good way to wake up from that long rest. _Of that I was fairly sure!_

The struggle continued for ten minutes and my poor body was used as the very battlefield for this war. The only non-combatant individual was… Ophis herself.

The dark-haired girl decided that letting the fight happen without intervening was better, considering that she got the chance of enjoying more nuzzling on my chest.

_**A very greedy dragon for sure…**_

* * *

**AN**

**This is an interlude to Volume 4 and next chapter will see the return to Kuoh Town. Expect a lot of revelations as some characters from DxD will be placed in… strange situations.**

**Especially Xenovia, she was there against Kokabiel and well… she didn't fare too well against the Fallen Angel. No permanent damage in her body but… she lost something in that fight. (And before any virtue fighter rise up, no it isn't something bodily in general. I ain't some kind of psycho to drop the drama to that level.)**

**But before I leave you, just a little… Omake!**

* * *

**Omake 4: Just Sayin' (or 'Why certain Crossovers will not happen!')**

* * *

_**Hypothetical Scenario**_

"Say WHAT!?" I shrieked to the receiver of the call, Azazel groaning in annoyance at the loud tone.

"_I said that I found this guy, he said he was from some parallel dimension and that he would like to fight on our side-_"

"His name! What's his name-"

"_Goku. I think his full name is Son Goku and- Oh? You are back? What do you mean that you found Khaos Brigade and dealt with them already- Oh? I see._" I was close to die from a stroke and then my psyche collapsed as the following words sunk in my brain. "_It would seem like the need for an Omega Initiative is no longer required, you may tell your members that-_"

And our adventure was over, just like that. Not even a chance to be in a big fight.

Training? Useless.

Planning some strategy to avoid getting attacked? Unneeded.

I gave the news to the group and the next day we all departed away, Kunou and I with Koneko and Kuroka returning to Kuoh Town and enjoying the rest of our lives in relative peace.

We would never learn of the massive conspiracies and the deep lore of our adventure because someone decided it was nice to put an overpowered character in the universe.

The balance was broken but peace was restored in the most anti-climatic way.

I wonder whatever people meant with 'being like Lucifer' and all of that.

_**Dun't care, pash me 'nother of twat lovely beer, yeh crazy drake!**_

'**H-H-Hewe re go~ hehe!**'

**Moral of the Story:**** Learn the AN, it might have some interesting info about how I plan to do things.**

* * *

**Someone might be asking why I did this Omake, it is so short and… dumb. Well, the answer is pretty simple: Do you remember how I said I wasn't going to bundle up any **_**obscenely OP **_**characters? Well, someone missed the memo and decided to leave a weird comment at the story.**

**Quick note for the people in FF:**** 'John Shinihachi', better known as Unit 428, is the MC from The Living Bot, a story I've written in SB, SV and (partially) QQ. I decided against posting it in FF because the category which was most appropriate for it was X-Overs/Star Wars.**

**Anyway, turning my attention to some more serious things, we passed another milestone. It would seem like we need to step up a little more.**

**Can we reach…**

_**Future milestone 1: 800 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**IdioticHypocriticalNEET****: Very close. Incredibly so and… ****_throws imaginary cookie at you_****.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: Sadly, where I live I can't receive packages and I can't give other addresses.**

**Crozz88****: I am the Wizard of the Bamboozle!**

**Br9k3n****: Chapter 44 is literally the interlude!**

**Jalalfof5****: It's close to what happened in DxD canon in the Kyoto Arc. **

**Scrumblenut****: Thanks!**

**Ascandas****: WRY!**

**RedBurningDragon****: Yep!**


	46. Reigniting the Oath

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 45****: Reigniting the Oath**

* * *

When I first looked at the living room of my house back in Kuoh Town, I thought that it wouldn't have never been filled by too many people. I was still tip-toeing the line between getting yanked in the main story and staying in the backstage, blissfully unaware that the sort of events, the same happening right in from of me, would have actually happened.

Azazel smiled at the disappointed frown Michael was giving him, smugly refusing to address the annoyance the archangel had for the roster of guests currently in that room while also looking particularly awkward when regarding with his eyes at his own 'subordinates'.

I was still neutral about the decision pushed by both Issei and Asia to take in both Irina and Xenovia, the two girls were far too unpredictable for me to know how they would lash out at the knowledge that God was dead.

Kokabiel didn't hold back even in this occasion, his glee at having both faithful warriors of Christianity dealt such a blow was something that he couldn't avoid himself from tasting.

Irina was shocked, she looked positively terrified but… she still had a family. The girl still had friends, she still had something she could do after this whole mess, something to not truly fall in utter despair.

Xenovia…

I was incredibly confused about her. While many could easily pinpoint my inherent difficulty to approach her attitude to her unique reactions that were known to lack common sense and own some lewd underline, I was sure this wasn't the case.

Someone like her wasn't certainly going to react this weirdly just because of this occasion, her case stemmed from some lonely childhood where she never had the chance to truly learn 'how to grow up'. She was molded in a puppet, a willing one, but also someone that couldn't live without her own job.

Her duty became her very soul, her life was only the battle and the defense of her faith.

Any attempt to attach herself to someone else? Only Irina was successful, but just because they were friends _thanks to their mutual work._ Not even Griselda Quarta giving the girl her surname seemed to spurn anything particular out of her.

A tool… that was deprived of her own reason to exist. Latching onto Issei was the quickest way to get away from the hollow sense of nothingness one could only feel at seeing everything in their own life crumble before their eyes. Not the smartest, but the easiest and the fastest one to avoid the agony.

But in this scenario, only the Shidou was close (by childhood friend's standards) to the brunet, the blue-haired girl left unanswered prior to the encounter with Kokabiel and thus having no reason to 'like' Issei.

I was glad that Kunou and Koneko had decided to stay by 'their' room, same for Kuroka and Akeno deciding to 'secure' my own room and while I knew the latter case was an odd circumstance that was possibly going to cause me some shenanigans later today, I merely sighed and focused at the very discussion the 'Regent of Heaven' was leading.

Gabriel was here too, but the young woman was mostly endeared by the lap pillow I was offering her. Quite awkward for how much grave the situation was for the two exorcists, but I was certain they weren't truly minding it, actually seeing it as a moment of relief from the dreadful news just around the corner.

Irina was scared, I could see it from her erratic behavior to stare everyone at the table and then look away the moment her stare was matched by the very subject she was looking at. She was pale, mortified, embarrassed and at loss over the whole turn of events, but the brunette was keen to not make any ill mistakes and question the authorities before her.

Xenovia was _staring silently at table_. Her eyes lacked any warmth, anything lively, she just looked like doll because of how her posture reminded so much of a puppet without strings. Gone was her hopeful outlook about life, her simplistic livelihood and now she lived like aimless sheep in the sea of lost.

I blinked, my eyes having been fixed on the girl for a while now and the speech Michael was giving long forgotten as I mostly knew how it was going to end up into. A little question, a test of loyalty and, just as expected, it happened right how I saw it coming.

"I can't express my sadness to how this news was given, nor I can punish you for being caught in this terrible situation." The man muttered in a mournful tone. "But, I hope you both understand that now I will have to put you to a difficult choice. You either accept to swear your silence over the matter… or you will be granted a life outside of the duty the Church requested before today from you. A life without any memory of what happened few days ago-"

"What kind of choice is that?" The blank words leaving Xenovia's lips surprised the archangel silent, but the girl was far from over and she sighed tiredly. "I either turn a blind eye… to the very foundation of my faith, or I just destroy what is left of my very life."

There was some awkward silence that followed, Irina was utterly shell-shocked by the words of her friend, surprised it would come to this and… I was particularly shaken by her emotions.

Being emotional doesn't just mean showing anger or happiness while speaking, it was embodying the state of their own souls and… I could feel a tremendous amount of despair coming from the blue-haired girl.

It was a terrible sight… that was oddly familiar. It just… felt like I've seen this kind of behavior before somewhere in the past. But… where?

_Where could I have- Oh!_

_**Nope! We aren't going to have her do that.**_

_It might be her best chance after Kokabiel. We could still give it a chance-_

_**She will turn out just like Artoria. Taking that sword is a goddamn curse for simple humans.**_

_But what if she wasn't left to suffer the burden alone?_

_**...What?**_

_Excalibur destroyed Artoria because she wasn't truly helped to handle the duties it came with the sword. Plus, she was supposed to be a hero __and__ a king at the same time. Duties clashed, she failed to understand what 'Ideal' meant and things derailed right into Camlann._

_**You… want to have Xenovia actually become a what? A Hero of Justice? Even that is a big no-**_

_And why not? _

_**...Elaborate.**_

_Archer became disenchanted with the whole 'Justice' idea because he was so stupidly straddling at the concept of 'Romantic Hero', never questioning the complexity of the modern hero. But given the fact Xenovia isn't affected by Survivor's Guilt? Given that she receives some genuine advice over her duties-_

_**It might still end badly…**_

_Just not as bad as Artoria and only if we allow bad things to happen._

_**Then go ahead, but I will tell you only this… 'That is Hell we are kicking her into.'**_

_...Using EMIYA's quotes now?_

_**He was genuine in his opposition to the UBW Route, that Shirou possibly ended up becoming EMIYA Alter after the Anime's last scene.**_

Nodding with some determination embed in my face, I looked down at Gabriel, the blonde blinking back at me with half-closed eyelids. "Gabi, can you forgive me if I spare some words with Xenovia? It's something very important."

Blue eyes blinked back, childish annoyance flashing momentarily but then the girl moved, a slight huff preceding her moving away from my lap. "Thank you, I promise that I will buy you something you will like."

Her face eased, a smile blooming once more. "Candy?"

"Gabriel-"

"Just a few of those wouldn't be that bad." I interrupted quietly and Michael sighed with some disappointment directed at the seraph… but he nodded. "Only four- but what do you exactly plan to do with Miss Quarta?" I blinked at his question and shrugged.

"Felt like she needed some time to think, maybe get some stuff done and..." I turned my attention once more at the girl. "I wish to offer a third possibility to her."

"A… third choice?" The blue-haired girl asked with a confused tone. "I-I can't nor I will join Grigori-"

"And that isn't the choice I was planning to give to you." I interrupted with a calm tone, expecting that remark. "Actually, it hasn't anything to do about factions, joining or leaving something or another. It's something much more important in my opinion."

"And you can't tell this at the table… because?" Azazel questioned, his eyes narrowed at me with some curiosity but I merely sighed.

"Because I think it's private." I replied placidly. "And I think the only one that should know about this is Xenovia."

There was another bout of silence, but the blue-haired teen blinked and recovered quickly. "I-I- _Why_?"

"Reasons." I replied quietly and without hesitation, ignoring the frowns I was getting. "And I think you need some breath of air outdoor, I think you've been holing up in my house for a while now."

At least she had the decency to blush at having her reclusive behavior called out, maybe there was truly something I could do about her…

* * *

Xenovia was clueless as to why things had turned out like this.

She had expected to face some serious moment with 'the one that ruled Heavens'. God was dead, her heart would still pause just a moment from beating at remembering the devious grin in Kokabiel's face while he proclaimed this truth.

A horrid truth, a terrifying one that kept her from going forward. The once clear path was now darkened, non-existing, and her determination to find a way out from that gloom had long plummeted away from her to grasp.

She was alone, she was afraid and she had been ready to face the looming decision. A decision that would have her devastated one way or another. A decision that was… delayed.

The girl blinked as she helped Lor-_ Hoitsu_ by placing some curious packages of food in the small cart he was holding. The fact that the young man also gave her the freedom to pick whatever she wanted to try and eat just left her even more confused about what was happening.

There was some minor bantering, some light-heart talking that preceded their arrival to the store, but nothing about this whole situation hinted at whatever serious 'third choice' he was trying to give her.

Only peace and the cool breeze coming from the A/C system of the building were there to fill up the normalcy of this place. Odd, but quite common from her perspective about this little city.

She didn't have the time to explore all around, her main objective taking over any curiosity over this small town and this little trip was giving her a deeper and better glimpse at the place she had been living until now.

Kuoh was a peaceful city, nothing out of the ordinary from what she had seen in her past assignments and… walking around without a mission forcing her to not enjoy the full scenery felt oddly relaxing. There was just… so much calm.

Xenovia was a woman of actions, diplomacy hardly her forte but the girl enjoyed the few chances where she wasn't forced to fend off for her dear life. Her posture was relaxed, a far cry of the tension that once domineered over her walking and fighting stances.

_She felt like a normal civilian_.

It wasn't certainly something she would have wanted to do for the rest of her life, but she could see some intriguing things in being away from duty. It wasn't like back home, where free time was spent at the headquarters where she either did some chores or trained.

A small smile appeared on her face, the weight of the decision momentarily vanishing as her mind had her attention diverted at the silly but relaxing activity that was picking out the products all around her.

Finally her little curiosity overtook her own politeness as the girl settled for a small package containing some potato chips. She hardly tried the flavor of those… potato-related snacks and thus she decided it was high time to tried those out.

It wasn't like she was going to return back home now, with all the limitations it was going to bring her to her life.

She knew that Michael was leaving out several other restrictions that would came by accepting the offer of keeping her lips shut about the greatest lie ever told to her. God, the one and only being that couldn't be faulted of anything, was killed during the Great War.

Something so immense relayed in such deplorable and disgusting tone, by someone that wasn't worth of even thinking about the Lord.

Yet she now knew and… that wasn't something she could accept to keep from telling. It was just… too big, too painfully massive to keep bottled up, even for someone so well-attuned in keeping under control her own emotions.

Irina would surely do that. Her mind was cruel enough to remind her how the brunette would accept the chance to continue with her duties without a single ounce of hesitation.

She was just like that, always too devoted… without a genuine reason. Her easygoing behavior could easily stick around as mocking of Xenovia's genuine attachment to her faith, but after years of being in the same team, not even the blue-haired girl would jump at this notion of the Japanese-born exorcist.

**Beep**

The girl's attention shifted away from her thoughts, the sound of the cashier going through the products set by the counter getting her back to reality. Xenovia blinked, eyes regaining some importance as she soon learned that… Hoitsu was giving her a small smile.

It was a genuine one, the kindness easy to perceive and… she blinked again as she remembered 'why' they were here and… how she had yet to get any information from the quiet young man.

Somewhat annoyed at the fact this trip was stretching beyond the original purpose, she waited for the cashier to end with his work and get paid, and then by the time the two were out of the store to question what was going on to the her senior.

There was hardly someone around in the streets, by the time they finished with the groceries it was deep in the working hours and thus asking became much easier than planned.

"Hoitsu?" She bit her tongue as to not put the 'Lord' title before the name. The young man fairly adamant to have her address him only by his first name, just as he asked to call her without any honorifics or titles.

_**Diamoci del tu**_. He said in Italian, the expression literally begging to 'drop all formalities'.

"Yes Xenovia?" He glanced her way and she sighed.

"W-What did you want to tell me?" A minor stutter, she was feeling impertinent already but she still went ahead. "What is the 'third choice' you mentioned back in the living room?"

_He said it was fine with it so… why not?_

He blinked, a little surprised and a little embarrassed, but then he sighed. "I guess that I've been delaying this for a while now." He nodded to himself and started to pick up the pace. "Let us go to a… less crowded place."

Less… crowded? There was literally no one around them and- What was he planning to show to her that-

They continued to walk, going in a full detour from their initial walk as they went distant from the more developed section of the town to… the local park.

The place was lacking any occupants, maybe just some guards keeping an eye for any delinquents and then the man stopped.

He sat down on one of the benches and gestured her to take a seat herself. Xenovia complied, but slowly and cautiously as she was starting to feel far too confused to accept eagerly whatever was going on.

Hoitsu sighed. "The reason why I asked you to come with me with this little 'silly' trip was… because I wanted to ask how are you faring about everything that is happening."

Her eyes widened and… she blinked in shock at the words sinking quickly in her brain. It was just so… unrealistic. To know that someone that much important _cared_ for someone like her was…

"I-I'm fine." She was tense, painfully and visibly so. She nodded, she hoped to not be given a full interrogation but-

"Xenovia, I know that you _are not fine._" There was uncertainty in his face but… also some curious clarity. An odd mix of emotions if she had to be honest. "I know that might sounds utterly strange, but I will have you know that I do care for the people around me."

"B-But I'm just a stranger, sir- _I mean-_" She panicked a little but Hoitsu was quick to take the lead.

"You _were_ a stranger, Xenovia." He corrected. "If Issei and Asia thought that you were someone worth of enough trust to house both you and Irina, then I think-"

"Irina was Issei's childhood friend." The girl interjected, looking at her knees, looking rather… unhappy with the discussion. "I'm not worth of-"

"You better stop at once that sentence." The teen thundered, looking incredibly annoyed. "There is nothing of being 'worth of' as you were putting it."

She didn't reply to that, keeping quiet.

"Look Xenovia, I'm not trying to give you any lecture." He assured with a small smile. "But I want you to know that… you still have a purpose."

"I don't." Her throat was painfully drying up. The wild storm of emotions never ceasing as he continued mercilessly to speak to her.

Why couldn't he just stop? Why couldn't he just… let her suffer?

"So you are telling me that, now that you know that God is dead, you are not going to save Irina if she is defenseless against a monster?"

She straightened up at once at the question, looking irked at it. "What? No, I would-"

"And what about a Stray Devil attacking a bunch of civilians, wouldn't you be able to help them because God is dead?"

Xenovia was ready to refute the scenario but… she stopped, her expression growing perplexed as she felt that something about the questions was… different than mere taunting.

"I will give you an explanation about God that the Church will never try to give you about him." He said with calm determination. "And that is… God isn't Christianity."

"He is the Creator-"

"But He certainly isn't as 'Infinite' as the Church makes Him look like if he dies against 'Finite' beings, doesn't he?" He poked deeper at that very detail, the one that make it possible for God to… die. "He existed and He did some stuff. He made 'mostly' good things but now that He is 'gone', do you really think it all just washes away?"

She stood quiet, for a moment she felt like a child being given a lesson back at the private catechism. She could feel the stern but moderated tone of Griselda Quarta addressing some of the precepts of the Bible with impressive precision, giving some honest but also well-defined explanations over past events for Christianity itself.

"Good morals, a sense of community and the need to care for the next guy are still going to survive time itself." He motivated, smiling. "You certainly didn't change so quickly at the news, _signorina_."

She huffed. "D-Don't call me that."

It was all right if it was meant to be taken as a polite way to address her, but it didn't take much to realize it was a teasing title than anything else.

"Sorry." He apologized curtly. "But you have to admit that you can't seriously let your 'life' end here of all places and time."

"He is gone-"

"But the need of a protector is still here, isn't it?" He sharply pointed out, bringing the girl's response to a halt. "As an Exorcist you represent a dutiful protector, a hero some would say."

"I'm not a protector, nor a hero." She sighed, staring forward in an absent-like stare. "I can't even use Durandal to the fullest. After years of having it in my possession, I still can't understand it."

"The Holy Sword that is meant to destroy everything in its path?" He asked calmly. "Do you know who was the first owner?"

She blinked, looking confused at the last question. "Wasn't it… Roland?"

"Indeed and do you know what he did with Durandal?" He continued without hesitation, getting Xenovia in a cycle of answering questions.

"It was because… I think he destroyed an army 100,000 men alone."

"And how did he do that?" His smile widened. "How did he achieve such an impressive feat?"

"He..." The blue-haired girl scrunched her face while thinking about it and… realization then dawned, embarrassment rising to replace the nervousness of before. "He used Magic."

"And can you use Magic?" His smile twitched as she fidgeted in her seat.

…

"Xenovia." He pressed on and she sighed, crossing her arms close to her chest.

"F-Fine, I do not- but I thought Magic was just something to boost its real power-"

"It has already too much power, its user needs some boost to make use of it to the fullest or… you flop."

She snorted. "I-I do not flop-"

"Yet you just said you did-"

"I did not!" Her face was turning red in embarrassment and Hoitsu chuckled.

"F-Fine, then." Hoitsu sighed, his happy smile still there. "How about I give you your third choice?"

The girl huffed. "Okay, what is it?"

"Michael wouldn't let you return back to the Holy See without getting you restricted from going 'against him' and I know you wouldn't never enjoy the life of a simple civilian, action is now part of you after all."

She nodded, trying to appear a little disinterested but… she was taken by the logic unfolding before her.

"So what if… you become my apprentice?"

Xenovia froze on the spot, mind stopping as the question unleashed a new confusion. "W-What?"

"If you stay here in Kuoh Town, not only will you be able to keep your memories intact, but you will also not have to keep quiet about the whole thing about God."

"But Hoitsu, with all due respect… Lord Michael did say you are not a swordsman."

"I'm a basic one, but the apprenticeship wouldn't be about swords. That is something I will fix by finding some good teacher about it but… I meant for something else you are terribly lacking right now."

She frowned. "And that is?"

"Your… social capabilities." The teen replied flatly, getting a minor glare from the girl. "You may glare as much as you like, but you aren't fit to speak with people."

"I did well back home-"

"Being polite and being informal are two different attitudes. Several times you still tried to address me as 'Lord' and you were keen to be rather 'over-respectful' around me."

"It's the proper thing-"

"Not when it's a simple trip to the store." He interjected with an annoyed tone. "I've never seen someone this awed by exploring a simple store-"

"I-It's different than those back home-" She tried to defend herself, flinching as the young man narrowed his eyes at her.

"I know that there isn't a particular difference between Japan and Italy about that, _signorina._" He interrupted once more. "And I don't think there are excuses that can help you right now."

She stared down at the ground and sighed. "I _might_ be a little awkward but-"

"Try with incredibly awkward." He huffed tiredly. "Look, I don't think this offer is particularly cruel compared to Michael's alternatives. I don't want to push you to do anything, but this is the safest route and… we both know that."

The girl paused, hesitation finally catching up as she really felt like this was her best chance at continuing with her… adventure.

The words coming from Griselda back when she went on her first mission echoing true within her mind.

"_Sometime we will face our worst nightmares in the strangest and gloomiest of situations, but it is up to ourselves to go and brave the dangers. Fear might reign, but it's hope and determination that win it all."_

She nodded, a small smile adorning her face. A lasting smile, a genuine one and… a promising one.

"I… I accept."

They shared a nod, both standing up and proceeding to walk back towards Hoitsu's house and-

_**So, why didn't you give her Excalibur?**_

_She has the potential to make use of it… but she isn't developed magically. Using it would kill her._

_**...I feel that it isn't the main reason why you held back. I feel like… it's deeper.**_

_Fine… she is emotionally too unstable to handle the responsibility. I think she would easily fall in the same mistakes Artoria committed during her reign even with my help if she was provided with the sword right now._

_**And yet you plan to still give that to her. It will be a risky move and, while I can see the merits of such a move, I think the risks will be bigger than the possible reward.**_

_Hope is the last thing to die… isn't it?_

_**You are a moron… but you are still my moronic King, so…**_

_**...I will let this happen.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Long chapter, Yay! **

**I decided to give ample space to Xenovia this chapter as next one will see some serious plot advancement. There are characters that exist within the DxD universe that are never brought up for… strange reasons. This story will be packed with a pragmatic antagonist that… isn't the main villain.**

**Also some mind-blowing info will be dropped next chapter, like… **_**some stuff no one was aware of!**_

**New Milestone!**

_**Future milestone 1: 820 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Ascandas****: I've seen two episodes and, from my understanding of some reviewers of the show, I think I will have to watch it more. My initial reaction was… meh… like I didn't enjoy the pacing the first episode had and how the story began. I will give it a look.**

**Scrumblenuts****: I found four major flaws from my early reading of the rewrite:**  
**1) Some chapters have lengthy paragraphs, you should mind the pacing a little of some of those;**  
**2) Some verbs are declined wrong, sometime you do the right one (which is mostly Past Tense) while others (especially to indicate people's actions) you use the present. Present is generally used to indicate 'the present' which is used in people speaking;**  
**3) Punctuation;**  
**4) You wrote in the ANs that you can't get a proper ending to the chapters because you get tired. It happens to me too sometimes, but I learned that the best way to treat this issue is by getting some rest and then finish the chapter when you are well-rested.**  
**I tried to be curt as I want this to be a critic and nothing else. I don't want to kick people's down but I will bluntly admit where there are issues. You are faring well and I will tell you that my very first fanfics sucked much worse than this. Write, improve and adapt. (Nope, I ain't Bear Grylls).**


	47. Introverts (and Death Cometh)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 4****6: Introverts (and Death Cometh)**

* * *

Xenovia yawned in her hand as she sat down by the living room's table.

In front of her was two slices of bread and a jar containing Nutella. The small knife was stained in the smooth chocolate as the delicious cream was carefully spread over the bread, her mind still refusing to fully address the other people sitting near her.

The first bite of her little toast was enough to restore some clarity back to her, her mind 'rebooting' at the delicious treat as colored blurs turned into clear figures.

The table was filled with various people, some she learned about the day before, others that she was completely unaware about.

Blinking, her brown eyes finally settled on Irina, the girl giving some inputs to the little chit-chatting happening with the few people there while also enjoying a steaming cup carefully placed away from the furniture's edge. She was smiling awkwardly at the others, her cheeks reddening just a little but Xenovia knew it was mostly nervousness dictating such reaction.

_Also, was that milk in that cup?_

Her nose picked up the fragrance of the sweet nectar, but she also noted some minor difference from the one she was accustomed to. A different kind of milk, she guessed almost instantly, knowing that there was something like… Soya milk.

"I see that you are finally awake, Xenovia." Hoitsu addressed her with a calm tone.

"Oh right, good morning." Her head lowered as her tone assumed a more apologetic denotations.

Her greeting was meet by the same words, some relayed in a cheerful way while others a little grumpy. Irina glanced at her and nodded.

"G-Good morning."

It was a softer reply compared to the rest of the group, but Xenovia caught it immediately. She avoided flinching, remembering that the reasoning behind such an awkward situation wasn't caused by anything… worrying.

While disheartened, Irina did seem supportive of her decision and, before going to sleep, she offered to give her some explanation after lunch.

Why lunch? Well, Hoitsu wasn't certainly going to slack over his duties regarding 'teaching her about people'.

It sounded so dumb, it made her_ feel_ dumb but she knew that some truth was present in that statement. She never engaged in friendly banter for too long, her lack of interests other than swords and the Bible turning out to be quite detrimental for her in the long-run, something the young man promised some solution about.

The bunch of people by the table were… quite unique. The owner of the house and Issei Hyoudou were the sole males in the room and yet she didn't feel anywhere as scandalized over the very curious males-females disproportion as there was nothing weird happening with these odds.

There were three age-related groups among the females in that specific moment.

Kuroka was the oldest, the Yokai just two years older than Hoitsu himself, and she seemed to be rather resourceful and knowing of the happenings around the cast of friends rallied for breakast.

Then there were those very close to her age, those were represented by Irina, Asia and herself.

Then there were the youngest, Koneko being the oldest of the bunch at 15 while Kunou was the youngest at 13 (and three quarters in the blonde's opinion).

Ophis looked young and she would have happily put her with the others but… there was something different than the rest. Her name in particular felt familiar, as if she had heard about it before… but she couldn't exactly pinpoint where and when did she gain this information and what it was about.

The dark-haired child behaved well, quite calm and quiet as she seemed to have eyes only for the oldest male in the house. She looked rather pretty in her old-style dress and Xenovia herself wanted to see how it felt patting the girl's head.

She was just so adorable to look at.

Some more time passed and soon the emptied mugs and plates were all settled by the sinks of the kitchen, the owner deciding to do the service of good host by cleaning the dishes.

A process that took some little time, but in the end the two of them were now alone by the living room.

Kunou, Ophis and Koneko had long retreated to the kitsune's room, Kuroka had gone to explore around the city, 'scouting her new town' she had said, while Irina had gone with Asia and Issei to properly begin her first day at Kuoh Academy.

Even though Michael was receptive of the brunette's request to be stationed in this town, the Archangel demanded that the girl committed to enlist to the local school and complete a proper education session.

There was some minor hesitation, Xenovia remembered how gloomy Irina would turn at the mere mentioning of 'school' and how she long preferred work to lectures. Surprisingly enough, the blue-haired girl wasn't forced to do such thing.

Hoitsu reasoned that she was far too much 'behind' to the Japanese school's curricula to be able to properly join the others at school. She had objected, saying that the Vatican's education system was good enough to allow her to join up and the young man was quick to give her a copy of the admission test.

Xenovia was given an hour to complete it and… she managed to do just two of the ten exercises picked up by a stupid computer and the fact it was told to her beforehand that it was meant to be passed by people her age with ease didn't certainly help nursing her bruised self-esteem.

The girl was so deprived of the chance of having something to do in her spare time, for good reasons, but still an annoying step back that left her bitter inside.

That bitterness was washed away by the fact she was going to be taught by Hoitsu Sakakibara. While the Church had little about him, the few reports she had gained in the past weeks were good enough to prove the validity of the man's words.

He was strong, much stronger than her, and incredibly influential. He just surfaced quite recently and yet he was several steps above her.

To be treated as his apprentice? Xenovia was unable to decide whether to be annoyed at the fact he was just a year older than her or to be interested at what she was going to learn from this individual.

Yet the first lesson started… much later than she had expected.

Another student, not an apprentice, but someone that suffered the same social ineptitude as hers… 'in a very different but similar manner'.

An odd way to precede the young student that came with Akeno-san. The young woman was kind enough, helping the feminine dhampir to sit in one of the couches as they waited to begin.

Her initial thoughts were that the skirt-wearing student looked particularly adorable, rather appropriate for _a girl_ that young. Sadly, this initial report was smashed by the few words given so placidly by their mutual 'teacher'.

"Oh? Gasper is a boy."

A boy. That cute little dhampir that was fidgeting while looking nervously at the glass table between him and her, was male.

Her mind stopped working for a few moments, her face paling slightly.

"B-But why is he wearing a skirt?"

Indeed, why would a boy need to wear such an uncomfortable piece? Skirts weren't certainly loved by the former exorcist, the few times she was donning such apparel was because of 'duties for the Church'. Important events demanded a 'proper elegance', Griselda had told her more than once to no avail.

Xenovia preferred softer and practical pants to trouble-causing skirts.

The dhampir's eyes widened, pink orbs glancing just briefly at her before he bowed at her. "I-I'm sorry."

What?

She wanted to question more, but the tired look on Akeno's face and the sigh leaving Hoitsu's lips made the girl hesitate a moment.

"Gasper here is… a cross-dresser of sort." The young man replied in the younger male's stead, the dhampir blinking in surprise and looking away at seeing the smile directed back at him. "He is quite comfortable with feminine clothes… I would say close to how you prefer masculine ones."

A strange explanation, terribly curt but also somewhat revealing of the predicament in front of her. Gasper was incredibly shy, overly-introverted and he… wasn't good with people.

They shared some of those traits, but Xenovia had yet to grasp the real intention behind their meeting.

It was the very responsible for their 'education' that explained things once and for all.

"While I would certainly deal with both of you in a separate manner, I've realized that there is an opportunity you both could benefit from." He said, smiling deviously but… kindly altogether.

"Your first lesson will be… to introduce yourself to the other." He finished, glancing first at the dhampir and then to the girl. "Both of you will have to explore in a semi-formal manner your public image and entertain each other with your hobbies. Who knows, maybe you do share some similar perspectives and… get yourself a friend?"

This… was idiotic.

The young feminine boy looked ready to faint anytime now, clearly not as acclimated with the idea of speaking with a stranger as the man was trying to make it sound like. And how was she supposed to talk about 'hobbies' when she hardly had one?

"And now I will leave yourself to the task as Akeno and I will go to the kitchen. If you need anything, I remind you that this isn't a forced session and that you may ask for help if you require it."

While his words would have easily been taken by her mind as 'if you need some help, just ask', all she could hear in that very moment was 'the task is simple and we will not go forward until we finish it'.

It wasn't even the real meaning behind his warm kindness, but Xenovia was just… too frustrated to even bother correct herself.

In that conflicting session of thoughts, she hardly saw the two leave the living room and soon the girl realized she was alone with… him.

* * *

"Do you think it was the right idea?" Akeno asked quietly once we reached the stools by the metallic table. "I know that you said that Xenovia-san is fairly harmless and that she isn't going to cause any issue… but Gasper didn't improve much ever since he was freed from his self-prison."

I blinked, taking two empty glasses and placing both and a bottle of water on the counter and taking a seat near the Himejima. Her concerns weren't completely off as I knew very well that Gasper was a problematic youth.

The Forbidden Balor View was dangerous if its user wasn't experienced enough to keep it under control and even its basic form was scary on its own.

The ability to stop time was… painfully similar to ｢The World｣, DIO's stand being able to bring the time-stop to the entire world, but then things turn… tricky.

The Balance Breaker allows the user to become a monster made by Darkness and shadows, something powerful enough to represent a fraction of the original Balor and cause some hefty damage to the user's opponent.

A very powerful tool that could easily collapse the very frail rules of Space/Time without some proper help given to the user… and that is why Xenovia was the best choice.

"She will crack his shell without causing any issues." I replied quietly, sureness washing off from my tone. "Gasper is in good hands."

I could see some hesitation within her features but I knew what I did was the smartest choice.

If I tried to approach myself the boy, knowing that my particular fame would become a reason to be distrustful of my intentions, the boy would have surely rejected any attempts of mine to try and get him to open up.

Xenovia was sadly a 'nobody' right now. There wasn't much to say, except that she just started a new chapter of her life. She was stubborn but also understanding in her own blunt way, something that is greatly helpful in helping introverts to open themselves to the world.

I didn't expect major progresses today and thus I decided to leave the bar very low just for that.

Slow and steady wins the race after all.

"You seem… tired." Akeno pointed out with a worried tone. "Do you get enough sleep at night?"

I blinked. "I don't have any sleep issues."

I felt my face a little tired, I guess that is a showing sign of minor fatigue.

"Paperwork is… a nightmare right now." I admitted, curious what her next step would be.

As much as she seemed ready to resume her usual attitude around me, it's been days now that she has been showing some… new restrain.

It wasn't the shaky attempt back when we went for a 'date', I could feel some genuine effort put behind her current calm.

_**As if someone told her what to… do. **_

_I guess Baraqiel decided to spill the beans to her daughter. Either for his fatherly sense or because Akeno decided to press the 'right' button._

"That's good to hear." Her lips twitched, amusement playing in her face as her eyes relaxed at the news. "I can only guess that it's quite the atrocious mess."

I sighed. "You don't have any idea of the paper-towers I've to face."

I sipped at the glass. "And I'm not even using 'towers' as metaphors here. There are 5-meters tall stacks of paper waiting every morning now that there is a lot to do regarding reconstruction and other important reports to Grigori."

"I remember seeing dad having some trouble with his own reports about the attack but… I think your input is more important regarding your presence having created a major impact." She deduced and I nodded in response.

"Everyone is surprised at the suicidal move of Rizevim, Azazel being the least worried as he said he 'knows that crazy bastard' and… I think he is right." I concluded, deciding to relax a little at the knowledge I wasn't going to get jumped… yet.

Akeno blinked, a curious look spreading for me to see. "Truly? I think one should be worried about the… very culprit of the attack on Tokyo."

"If I had to pick a fictional character that best represents Rizevim, it would be Heath Ledger's Joker." I compared in a direct correlation. "Both strive in chaos, they aren't either good people, nor the worst scumbags. They do things because they think its the right thing to do… for themselves."

"The selfish bunch then?" She guessed and frowned at my quick flinch.

"If the man was selfish, then he wouldn't have bothered with the suicidal assault." I glanced at the now empty glass. "His ideal is selfish, the arrogance of embodying an idea and transcending."

"He thinks himself a… deity?" The Himejima half-asked. "You think he is doing this because he wants to be-"

"The hero of his own story." I finished for her. "He is a child playing with nukes, trying to have a metaphorical and _literal _blast while on the loose."

A quick smile, then she asserted once more her calm and kind exterior and I sighed.

"So, I do reckon that you are behaving quite differently from last time." I finally pressed my main interest now, something fluttering within her eyes for just a moment. "What happened?"

She giggled. "Worried about me, aren't you?" A blink, then she sighed. "I guess I was... given some advice from my father."

"I doubt he would give you some love advice." A playful smile was now on my face, she giggled again and she looked fairly amused herself.

"He didn't." She admitted mirthfully. "But he did tell me a little more about his time with mom, the time before I joined the family."

I didn't press on, the girl eager to reveal a little more about her mother's life while dealing with Baraqiel.

There was little known about Shuri except the funny snippets the Canon give about her relationship and, the more Akeno spoke about her mother's misadventures, the more I realized why she was being this… calm.

Her mother was a terrible extrovert, many times Baraqiel having to help her around while she dabbled with the notion of having a Fallen Angel under her care. Her family didn't digest that, it was a Canon thing too, but it was never mentioned how_ early_ this 'indigestion' turned into something far more 'murderous'.

Stubborn, headstrong, she ended up in terrible predicaments and only her husband's intervention would get her out of trouble. It was in one of these situations that she ended up stepping up to protect Baraqiel.

The umpteenth ambush had focused on the Fallen Angel and the woman had to resort to some smart 'Home-Alone: Forest Edition' antics/tactics to delay and kill the pursuers trying to kill her and her lover.

A sudden change within her personality as she began growing in the wise woman that would then bring Akeno to this world.

I nodded at the end of the lengthy tale and smiled at how giddy she looked at relaying this personal stories about her parents. The girl was proud of both her father and mother, and I guess that those tales did help her unlock the trauma-induced hate for her state.

She looked relaxed, that weight long gone now and… she sighed.

"Hoitsu-kun. Can I ask you… if you are free tomorrow morning?"

I blinked at the quiet question, my mind swift in informing me that tomorrow was Saturday. There was no school and… it could work.

I nodded. "I'm free, yes." I smirked a little at her minor happiness. "Why, are you asking me out, Akeno-chan?"

She twitched at the honorifics, cheeks reddening but then she tilted her head with a big smile.

"I am." The girl admitted cheerfully.

It's been a while now and… I think that this might be something… acceptable.

_**I don't know if I should be proud of your moral strength or bash you for being this hesitant with someone like Akeno.**_

_I-It's complicated-_

_**I know… I know~**_

"I guess that we will hang out-"

"Date." She interrupted, still smiling. "I'm asking you out for a date, Hoitsu-kun."

"Akeno-" Her finger pressed my lips closed and she shushed me to stay quiet.

"I know that you are a good man, trying to keep us all lovely girls happy with… being just friends." Her face slowly got closer, my very face burning a little at seeing her eyes so close and… her smile was just delightful. "But I can tell you that this path is going to hurt us all. I spoke with Kuroka-san and Akua-san, and we both agreed to… a compromise."

… "A wha-"

"_Shhh._" The Himejima shushed again, looking incredibly embarrassed herself… and yet the smile was there. "I admit we had some little issues about the modalities but we agreed that the best way to get our best ending was… sharing."

_**...Shit, things got incredibly complicated now.**_

_They are cooperating. They aren't supposed to cooperate and-_

My mind melted as I felt her lips pressing on my left cheek, dropping a kiss- "This is for being kind with us."

Then she moved to the right side- "This is for being so understanding and caring."

My eyes traced the following moves of her lips, a twitchy smile sending me in a little confusing state. "And this-"

Her lips…

_Planted a kiss on my nose._

"This is for being a difficult conquest." She giggled, enjoying my shocked face from this close.

She stood up by the stools, ignoring my stare as she put on one of the aprons available. "I just remembered that I had to prepare some cake." She explained softly, even through I had yet to recover from that impressive tease.

_**She is incredibly good. But boy, she sure knows how to press our buttons now-**_

_I don't know if I should be relieved or annoyed at being denied that kiss._

'**Considering how beautiful she turned in so little? I think you should be angry at yourself for not catching the moment.**'

_**Yeah, you did screw up the whole 'Carpe Diem' Quick-time event, methinks.**_

Slowly nodding at Akeno, I proceeded to take another apron and follow her instructions, my mind still facing a quick bout of dumbness after that scene.

I was going to have some troubling sleep now… and for good reasons.

* * *

Gasper giggled as Xenovia lifted him off the ground, his thin arms latched on her muscled arm. The girl was smiling, the two having somehow ended up opening up to each other.

It all started fairly simple with him begging some deities to be taken away from that dreadful and nerve-wracking setup and safely returned to his kind and understanding box where he would then enjoy playing some games.

It's been a while now since he had the chance to play around with his PC or his portable console, but until earlier that encounter he never felt this much pressured to do something.

The young woman looked intrigued by him, the attention set on him getting him quite bothered and… terrified about screwing things up for Akeno.

He knew that Akeno's friend, Hoitsu (the very individual that created some issues for Rias' peerage) didn't plan this out of some sick pleasure, the Queen having told him about the issues related to… Xenovia.

The girl was quick to introduce herself, the formal and strict tone leaving him flinching for few moments as her voice was… strong. She looked strong, she _was strong_.

A shudder then went down his spine, the trembling starting to irk him a little and urge him to find a way out.

He introduced himself, slowly and with several stuttering, soon the boy expected to be mocked for his cowardly attitude.

But the girl didn't comment on it, rather she continued to stare at him silently and getting him even more bothered.

Finally the pressure forced him to take some initiative and the Dhampir blurted the first question he could muster.

"W-What is your favorite game?"

He was ready to rush away, already feeling like he had gone overboard- that maybe he shouldn't have been this forward and-

"I like Broomstick." She replied calmly, frowning a little. "It's simple and easy-"

"B-Broomstick?" What kind of video-game was that? Was it something she only knew or-

"The card game- Oh right, it's kind of a card game in Italy. I guess it's not present here in Japan." The girl explained and the blond paused a moment in surprise.

"A-Actually I meant video-games..." He whispered very softly, hoping that his disgruntled remark wouldn't be picked up by Xenovia.

"Video-games? What's that?" The blue-haired teen asked, looking completely clueless about this subject.

_Curses, she has good ears too!_

What was he supposed to do now? If he messed up the explanation he would permanently taint his honor as a professional player- but if he explained this to her then it was surely going to end up with her getting bored because of it.

With a great weight over his shoulders, Gasper knew that… he had to do it. For his honor, for his duty-!

"I-It's like a movie, j-just that you are capable of 'playing' as the protagonist and going through adventures."

_T-That was terribly meek. This literally skip FPSs and RTSs._

The dhampir was ready to correct himself but the girl intervened a moment before he could speak.

"A movie? And you mean like something like a simulation or-"

_She doesn't even know what movies are!_

What a terrible realization, to learn that someone actually was unaware of the beautiful things that were part of 'modern art'.

Something stirred within the feminine boy and… he decided it was high-time to 'bring culture to the infidel'.

A lengthy explanation ensued, at first the stuttering persisted but then Gasper got grasp over it as he was allowed to talk more and more.

Xenovia was surprised at first, his outburst flooring her and keeping her quiet, but soon she got hold over her surprise and started to religiously listen the words of the dhampir.

Minutes passed, the boy's voice slowly losing some strength and soon the rant took a calm turn towards self-disappointment.

"I-It's just not fair. I want to h-help others, but I'm just weak." His eyes were hurting a little, the sign that he was close to tears at the topic he was unhappily depicting. "I-I wasn't useful to Rias a-and now things are so much different."

He sobbed, hands trying to hide the shameful tears falling off but soon his plight was answered as… a soft hand landed on top of his head.

He paused a moment, surprise taking him out from his somber moment before he fell back to hit, this time the warm hand starting to slowly move and comfortably helping him with that little inner struggle.

Gasper didn't notice until too late that he was pulled in a hug, Xenovia's head nuzzling close to his as she quietly lulled him out from that sad situation. His pink eyes were wide open, shock evident in those but… he didn't back away from the embrace.

The warmth was nice, he thought softly as his eyes slowly closed, the warmth is… kind.

It was nostalgic, how this was how his first friend used to pull him out from the gloomiest of times, a kind smile as the fellow dhampir that was Valerie Tepes hummed a lullaby, something similar to the tune leaving Xenovia's lips.

He felt his body relax and melt over this delightful climax and… he patted at her shoulder.

The girl shifted and pulled her head out from that close situation to look at the boy. He smiled a tiny smile and nodded shakily.

"T-Thank you." He said quietly. "I-I needed that."

He was blown away by the bright grin that was directed at him, his eyes widened just a brief moment at how happy it looked to him. "You are welcome, Gasper."

A positive chill went through his body and he nodded.

Xenovia blinked. "By the way, I… saw that you were looking at my arm and… I think I've an idea."

The blond frowned at the 'idea' the human had reserved for him and… he stared at her extended arm with a frown.

"U-Uh?"

"Take hold of it." She requested kindly. "I think you will like it."

He hesitated a little, his eyes returning to the arm and… his pale hands took a grip over her muscles. He was awed at how sturdy her arm was at his touch and then… _he was lifted off._

Eyes widened even more, the boy surprised at the unexpected outcome from that encounter and then… he was brought down once more.

He blinked just a moment before the situation happened again and… again.

It was a silly activity, it didn't seem to have any particular sense and yet he felt like something was being spurred within his chest.

Soon the bubbly emotion made him smile and… he giggled. It was unexpected to hear himself giggle nowadays and this strange situation was impressing him more and more.

A chuckle left Xenovia's lips and the dhampir couldn't help but giggle even louder.

This… this was so fun!

And with that strange yet warm encounter, Gasper found another individual to trust upon.

It… it made things just worth once more!

* * *

_**Somewhere far away… in an unknown location…**_

Rizevim snarled as he dodged the umpteenth scythe thrown at him, his regeneration promptly dealing with the cuts appearing on his skin.

He was alone, facing this incredible moron that decided it was a cool idea trying to desecrate the old family lands. The secret graveyard, a place where he had been careful to bury the rests of his deceased father had been breached by this cloaked bastard and for some reason none of his attacks were having success.

"I would advise you to cease with this senseless attacks, Son of Lucifer-"

"H-How about you drop dead and stick your formality up your re-" The explosion triggered just in front of his face sent the Super-Devil flying away, crashing down just after slamming several times on the muddy grounds.

For a moment, the Lucifer was starting to regret having left Euclid back to Qlippoth's headquarters to make sure the few Evil Dragons brought to life would get accustomed to his ideas and plans. This- This man was just that strong. How the fuck did someone like this exist and he didn't know anything about it?

Groaning, he jumped back to action as he prepared to engage this elusive dumbass without any restrain over his power. Kick, punch, explosive spell and- _blade through his guts._

He spitted some blood, eyes widening in shock at how he was being man-handled with ease by this individual.

"You might be his heir, but you fail to stand up to him." The figure replied in a blank but mocking tone as he stared down at the wounded Rizevim.

"T-Thanks, I- I do try to suck." He coughed more blood but still managed to stand up from the floor. "B-By the way, what n-name should I engrave in your tombstone, fucker?"

He had been smiling until now, the very smile that made him the most awesome jerk Hell could ever deal with. Rarely he dropped his carefree act and… it just happened so suddenly.

"An interesting way to ask someone's name." The figure noted with some amusement. "But I guess I shall grant this to you."

A painful white noise soared through the world as the Lucifer was forced unconscious by the introduction of the being before him, falling face first to the ground as he felt forced to go asleep, to slumber in fear.

"**My name is Azrael and I am the End of Everything.**"

Two black angelic wings formed behind the figure and Azrael _jumped _away from the raided graveyard, a large decorated box carefully held in his steely hold.

Things were changing and it was time to finally get his wish… granted.

For the Angel of Death seeks nothing more…

**But the sweet embrace of truth.**

* * *

**AN**

**Thank God I am a lucky moron.**

**As I've said in the forums, I ended up slamming the nerve in my elbow on a sturdy wall (aka my Wardrobe) and got it inflamed for a while. I thought I was going to end up having to suffer until tomorrow morning, but I was lucky enough that the pain subsided three hours after relaying the message and… this chapter is here.**

**Operation: Fluff, Fluff and Friggin' Fluff was… successful?**

**Also Important message:**** Next chapter will have the first lemon. Yes, you Sobs, I promised pron and I will give you pron but not in those sites where it is forbidden (AKA SpaceBattles and SufficientVelocity). I will deliver the Lemon in AO3 (The Daily Lemon), in Questionable Questing (the MT DXD NSFW Archive) and in… Fanfiction dot net. Indeed, we breaking my self-imposed rule for once, yay!**

_**Future milestone 1: 820 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Rangle****: You fool! You didn't read the ANs and… I banish you to the Shadow Realm! (but seriously, I did say that I was stopping for a 'while' the X-overing thing to fix things up.)**

**NazgulBelserion****: I think what cursed Artoria was the duty that came with Caliburn rather than with Excalibur. Becoming the Ideal King was just the worst way to deal with the duties Excalibur necessitated (A hero without ties nor allegiances, but a dutiful connection to Mankind for the sake of protecting it from evil).**

**IdioticHypocriticalNEET****: She will get Excalibur, she just isn't ready yet.**


	48. Blooming Love

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Warning****: This Chapter contains a Lemon. It's advised to those younger than the legal Adult age to skip the portion when the next warning is spotted. (Also some spoilers from JoJo Part 2)**  
**Your discretion is advised. **

* * *

**Chapter 47****: Blooming Love**

* * *

The little bar Akeno picked as the place where our date was going to happen was… lovely.

It was a small establishment, just a few people wandering around in small groups as we were granted a relatively warm service by the waiter assigned to our table.

The Menu was little, this was by no means a restaurant and most of the dishes were sweet-based food.

She opted for a strawberry sundae, the cool desert already catching her attention the moment she was served it. The girl took her small spoon and tried its taste.

Her smile widened instantaneously and my ears heard the brief beginning of a moan, being held back by the self-restrain of the young woman. It looked good so… I guess it was so.

The medium-sized slice of milk-cream cake that I ordered looked well-shaped, the figure endearing as much as was the sundae. I was slow compared to the girl's approach to the sweet food but I was incredibly impressed by both the texture and taste this perfect shape was hiding within itself.

The quiet breeze keeping the summer heat away from us was also well-accepted, the morning starting fairly well compared than previous situations.

I was relaxing under those favorable conditions, the lack of paperwork and my worries eased by the fact things were alright for the moment. With Xenovia enjoying some time with Irina around the city and with Gasper deciding to stay in his room for the day, there wasn't anything in particular that required my direct attention.

With most of the Omega Initiative still busy in settling down in their new houses in Kuoh Town, I had little to worry about that specific subject and thus my full attention was given to Akeno for today.

I could say that Kunou and Koneko did behave in a strange way earlier during breakfast, but I couldn't sense any of the two girls nearby.

I know that following Anime's laws, I had to expect something similar to being stalked around, either for keep a watch over me or to make sure nothing messed things up during the date.

Until now things were smooth, nothing that could exactly tell that nothing was going to happen and… I was going to enjoy this.

_**Better avoid jinxing things up already, eh?**_

_Fate could be a terrible bitch if poked too hard._

Just a few words were shared during that morning.

Akeno was keen to keep the topics normal, hardly going to mention anything that could be considered close to our current connection the Underworld. Job was put aside to spend the day in relative peace with each other and we both talked about simple things like funny tales at school or telling each other things about the very person we mutually knew very well about.

Baraqiel was first mentioned by Akeno, my interest piquing at the fact the man was nowhere nearby the area and… I was quite certain he wouldn't have let his daughter off without 'stalking her around' just like a 'good father' would do.

I asked during one of the brief pauses and the girl gave an amused smile.

"Oh, dad was against this situation, going so far to 'forbid me to even try it'."

I blinked a curious look. "How did you get him to change idea?"

"Technically… I didn't." The girl admitted. "He was stubbornly sticking by his decision to the moment I left home this morning, but I managed to… get him distracted."

"How did you manage to distract him?" I felt like the answer could range from a specific way of dealing with things to another, knowing full well that both father and daughter shared a… very strange bond.

"I had some ropes saved up for… special occasions." She giggled but managed to continued. "I tricked him by asking if he wanted to try a trick with ropes I saw on TV and he accepted happily."

… "You left him back home-"

"Completely tied up and with his magic suppressed." The girl was smiling one of the happiest smiles while saying this. "I placed him on his bed, he will be able to endure a full day of resting after _dealing with so many stressful events._"

Her chilling, sickly-sweet smile was quite alarming but my mind was quick to remind me that it wasn't I the subject of such suffering and thus decided to easily let go of that topic altogether.

The man might have been my teacher, but if he somehow managed to get out of his bounds…

Things were going to turn violent pretty quickly for me.

After finishing our respective desserts, I proceeded to pay our checks and take Akeno for a walk by the park.

Differently from the Ueno Park in Tokyo, the one in Kuoh Town was smaller and less… unique. The major center being the place where the stone fountain was sited as the large area was busied by people trying to enjoy some quality time with friends and family.

The walk was calm, uneventful but didn't last long as we quickly took a seat by one of the benches nearby the fountain.

Children of various ages were playing in the green field just on the side of the zone, either with soccer balls, basketballs and volleyballs.

Giggles, chuckles and full-blown laughs were all difficult to miss and we were both smiling at the playful activities happening all around.

I blinked, a little idea creeping around as I decided to offer an… interesting twist to our date.

"Do you want to play a little?"

The girl's eyes turned right at me with a quizzical look and I pointed at a small vendor selling balls for sports just a few meters away from us.

Eyes widening, her smile glowing a mischievous light, Akeno was the one that took the initiative and took my hand in hers as to lead both to the vendor.

Moments later we were already playing a mix of dodgeball and basketball.

The one with the ball had to rush to where the opponent is set and score a point by throwing the ball by a goal formed by few tree branches. The defender had to stop the attacker by tackling him and would win only by securing the ball.

I was the first defender, Akeno grinning deviously as she pumped some extra magic in her legs, gaining some extra speed compared to mine. She secured the first point with a precise throw much to my annoyance, her smug smile persisting even while I was taking my place as the following attacker.

The girl rushed almost immediately, trying to use the same trick on me but failing to take into account the difficulty of turning around with that pacing.

Her eyes widened in partial horror as she almost tripped on herself while trying to tackle me down, her dread culminating as I gained my very first point and created a minor draw already.

The game continued for three hours, the stalemate broken multiple times but never for too long as tricks and 'cheating' became a norm once people started to leave the park. We were both red-faced, both feeling winded by the experience but still focusing on the game itself.

It was just… so addicting.

Yet it was getting late, I glanced at the watch by my wrist and huffed at how time flied this easily and announced something that made this last match important.

"This is the last round. Who scores wins it all!" The girl paused a moment, looking from her attacker post with a brief frown as if to show some disappointment at the fact the game was almost over, then she nodded with a determined smile as she took stance and…_ rushed toward the goal_.

I matched her speed and prepared to intercept her and…

She yelped in surprise when my arms wrapped around her and we both fell on the ground, the ball was sent flying as it preserved the speed gained by the previous user and… vanished our sight.

But our principal issue wasn't the ball, far from it. Standing just few moments from bringing my face down on hers, we both keep quiet while staring at each other's eyes and _Akeno smiled_.

"W-What are you waiting for?" She whispered calmly, almost craving for the moment to happen. "Please."

My mind went numb as my lips fell on hers. Both our eyes went wide, we were both surprised at how things turned out. Something urged me to go ahead with the opportunity presented, to give something not only to Akeno, but to myself.

She needed it, _we needed it_, and so I confirmed a troubling question that had plagued my relationship with the Himejima for a while now.

It was a chaste thing, nothing that truly brought out anything… powerfully in an emotional way. There were kisses and… kisses. This one was one where the clarity mattered the most, where we both stopped believing in a possible love because we now _knew_ that something was there tangibly.

Akeno broke the kiss, looking still surprised but in a positive way.

"H-How was that?" I asked shakily, my smile tiny and insecure about my the chance of my arms holding from fully let go and fall in the waiting girl beneath me.

She blinked twice, a strange smile forming as tears grouped by her eyes and…

_I was graced with another kiss. _Her own arms wrapped around my neck, softly bringing me down as she got me in a loving embrace.

I felt melting, my face sporting a full blush, the same that was present in Akeno's face as we both enjoyed the calm and peace that we were finding there.

The second kiss ended and so did the hug as I splayed just beside Akeno, the cool grass barely touching as we kept very close to one another. She was smiling, as if she had won the greatest reward.

"It was…" The girl started, pausing just a moment to think about it and… then she sighed. "_Precious_."

I frowned a little, something that the Himejima noticed almost instantly by how her giggle followed my reaction.

"You are a good kisser." She admitted eagerly. "It felt so… so natural and good."

I hummed at her comment and nodded. "You were good too." I replied calmly. "I- I think it was… nice."

She nodded too and we stood there for a few more moments before I remembered we had lunch to deal with.

Silently but happily, we got up from the floor and started to make our way back to the park's entrance, Akeno comfortably taking hold of my arm to keep close.

_**I think we lost him.**_

'**It was inevitable, he just… needs someone to hold onto.**'

_**But three girls and maybe more? I think that is… excessive.**_

'**If his life was normal, then I can only guess you are right but… define me how normal is he nowadays?**'

_I can still hear both of you…_

* * *

Kunou glanced at Koneko while slowly and carefully slurping a few more noodles.

The young Nekoshou was staring with a curious glint at the strange 'glow' coming from both Akeno and I, questions filling her mind but none capable of leaving the silent place.

I admit I did look dumb for a good while, the memory of the kiss repeating multiple times in my head as I felt distracted by the strange emotion that I felt conveyed towards Akeno.

Never did I felt this much… attached to someone. It was a kind of connection that felt refreshing and delightful to know about even there during the lunch.

The Himejima hummed quietly as she finished adding some salt to her portion, her smile widening a little more as she found the addition an improvement compared to before.

Kuroka was also there, but she seemed to be trying to make her presence the least noticeable by being oddly quiet and… directing her attention to her plate.

The seasoning of her portion having some tuna and other herbs, the young woman seemingly lost in her happy place while eating the food in her plate.

We were all eating silently and ready to enjoy the following afternoon, or at least that was the case until the silver-haired girl spoke with a curious tone.

"By the way, Hoi-nii." The cat-girl began calmly. "I wanted to know if we could watch the Second Part of JoJo." She paused a moment and then continued once more. "It's been a while since we saw the first part and Neesan says that it's… better?"

I frowned, my eyes slowly turned to glance at the innocent-looking dark-haired Nekoshou. She heard what her sister said, she knew that by 'better' she meant with 'more muscled young man' and she did so… by tricking Koneko.

Things are surely going to escalate quickly.

"I guess it can be done today." I turned to look at Akeno, the girl looking interested at the idea of continuing that series. "But I've to warn you that it will be quite… awkward and sad in some parts, just like the last one."

They all nodded and after putting all empty plates to the sink and got them cleaned up, we sat down by the couch near in front of the TV and I started with the 'Battle Tendency' Arc.

It was more flamboyant than 'Phantom Blood', Joseph having quite the unruly behavior that deviated from Jonathon's gentleman-like manners.

Kunou's eyes widened when the protagonist made use of the very technique I used to avoid Kuroka's attack, the Nekoshou glancing mischievously but silently. Koneko frowned, glancing my way as I did also use 'Nigerundayo' to escape from the ORC room a few weeks ago.

Akeno was partial at the first episodes but then… she got a full exposure to both Joseph's and Caesar's physiques with their 'unique' clothes and her face reddened a little. All girls were embarrassed by the overly-muscled 'teens' but I think it was the Himejima that noticed my reaction over the matter.

I felt a little gloomy, the scene was utterly dreadful, but the soft giggle as her head nuzzled close to my neck was enough to keep me from huffing in annoyance.

A few more episodes passed and soon more elements were thrown into the mix. The Nazi group led by Stronheim (German science is the greatest in the world!), the Pillar Men and… Caesar's death.

_**CAEEEEEEEESAAAAAAAAAR!**_

Not many were expecting the co-protagonist to die that way, but the meaningful even being rather worthy of several tears (not as many as Joseph, of course).

The final battle again Kars was interesting in a neutral way. An over-powered being and a trickster of the Jojo's kind that saw the Joestar victorious… at the cost of his arm.

Kuroka scoffed at the crap they pulled to deal with the Ultimate Being while the other girls were too much taken by the plot to reply to such a comment.

The time-skip at first left them shocked, to see the funeral of another protagonist put Kunou in an annoyed state but… the appearance of the 'supposedly dead' Joseph put a smile back to the kitsune's face, the closure of the Arc causing different emotions all at once.

Sadness at the passing of some nostalgic characters like Erina and Speedwagon, the death behind the scenes of Rudolf von Stroheim during the battle of Stalingrad and…

**JFK International Airport, New York, 1987.**

The three girls that had yet to see the whole series where shocked to see that Joseph had aged so well, their surprise then shifting to the reason why he was at the airport of all places.

I could see their eyes glowing in intrigue at the fact the old Joestar had plans to go in Japan to… meet his grandson?

The credits rolled almost too quickly, drawing the irked noises of the two youngest females but I was quick to remind them that there is an extra bit after this section.

They waited, confused about what could really be happening after this large journey and…

Eyes were glued at the screen as the credits faded to show a small boat fishing in the-

**Atlantic Ocean, near the Canary Islands, 1983.**

A strange box was being lift off and… a tag was shown before the scene changed once more.

**DIO**

"W-Wait wha-"

But before Koneko could finish her simple question, darkness was slowly revealed by the screen as the camera dived deeper in the dark building and… right into a cell.

A man wearing a dark-blue hat and long coat was sitting by the wooden bench, ominous signs all around him.

_**ゴ ゴ**_  
_**ゴ ゴ**_  
_**ゴ ゴ**_  
_**ゴ ゴ**_

The episode ended there, silence ruling for a few moments as the girls digested what they've just seen.

"That was…" Kunou smiled happily, eyes glowing in awe. "AMAZING!"

I snorted as Koneko joined in with a happy nod. "It was… nice. But there are just so many questions-"

"That will be answered in Part 3, imouto." Kuroka interrupted with a sly smile. "Alas, you should bring that pretty boy, Gasper-chan."

"Why?" The silver-haired girl asked in confusion only to be meet with a shrug.

"Reasons." The young woman replied and soon the attention was shifted away from the TV to… the time.

It was almost time of dinnertime already!

"We should start to prepare something-" I was already thinking what food could be prepared for everyone when Kuroka casually waved back and interjected.

"Actually I thought of taking Kunou-chan and Shirone-chan out for dinner. They wanted to try some of the restaurants around and I too wished to see how those worked."

I frowned at the explanation, looking at both girls for confirmation and getting a dual nod from them.

I shrugged and nodded in return.

Soon, the three girls left the house… and only Akeno and I were left as the occupants of the place.

It was odd to be alone with the girl… in a house that was meant to be busied by so many people.

Xenovia was surely wasting some more time with Irina, Sunday going to be quite important for training purposes and they both requested some time to keep together.

Not a terrible request but I hoped the girl wasn't going to get home too much late today.

With only two people requiring food for dinner, preparing something took less time than usual. Even dining felt oddly quieter than the other times, the Himejima also noticing this situation herself.

Akeno was clearly clueless over Kuroka's plan, but for some reason I knew that the Nekoshou had some secret intentions over the matter but I wasn't sure _what_ exactly she planned to achieve by leaving the two of us alone in there.

Dinner was quick and the chores even quicker, soon we were ready to call the day as we were both tired and… the girl tugged at my sleeve, looking rather nervous about something.

"A-Actually, can I ask you a _small favor_?" I frowned, starting to see something but… still nodding.

"Sure." I replied and she sighed tiredly.

"I know that it might sound planned, but generally the house is filled with people and I don't need to have someone around but..." She paused, looking very embarrassed but still going forward. "C-Could you keep company tonight?"

I was about to refuse blankly the request as this sounded like a trap-

_**But didn't she tell you that she is afraid of sleeping alone?**_

_Could be a trick-_

_**She has been sleeping together with Rias until 'that' happened. I do remind you that, while your paranoia is legitimate, it is also true that Akeno is still traumatized of being left alone for too long.**_

_...Baraqiel said that too._

_**And that has to say something. The man wouldn't lie about something like that.**_

I blinked, ready to flinch at a possible real trap and… nodded. "Just tonight."

The girl smiled a tiny one. "Just tonight." She parroted with a serious tone.

After some minutes gone to put on our sleep-wears in our respective rooms, Akeno knocked by the door and peeked her head inside, waiting for permission to enter.

"You may enter, Akeno-chan." She nodded, looking a little nervous and blushing as she stepped inside… while wearing a mere sleeveless shirt and short pants.

It was similar to what I was wearing, yet the major issue was that for her appearance that was… sinful.

She wasn't wearing a bra, I could recognize the frame her bust through the simple shirt. Distracting images appeared within my mind, but I was quick to put an end to this madness by quickly going for the bed.

Akeno followed and, with careful actions, she managed to place herself in a snuggly but non-provocative position. She sighed happily while nuzzling her head close to my chest and we were both too tired to deal with any pre-sleep bantering.

Eyes closing and tiredness taking over, we both rested peacefully.

_**Terribly unaware of the plot in act.**_

* * *

**WARNING! LEMON STARTS HERE! SWITCHING TO THIRD PERSON!**

* * *

Hoitsu was sweating, the young man could feel his body stressed as… something was going on while he was sleeping.

Pleasure was slowly bringing him out from unconsciousness, his senses finally grasping that something was off right now as the area below his stomach felt… too warm and active.

Soon he could perceive someone pressing down on his crotch, the wet sensation of something causing friction with his cock snapping him out from unconsciousness.

Eyes opening quickly, he was greeted by… a red-faced Akeno, her lips twitching in pure bliss as her eyes seemed focused.

"_H-Harder~!_" She was going up and down on top of him, she was naked as her breasts were shown in their full glory, her hips dancing and driving the action as…

_She continued to ride him without any restraint._

"Yes~!" The woman mewled in utter joy, her body increasing the pace as finally the waves of pleasure breached his mind's walls.

His whole body tensed as soon he felt dragged by the simple but addictive action, hands slowly reaching for her lower hips and helping the girl with the speed of the thrusting.

Her inner walls were all wet, her nectar flooding down at the intense and raw pleasure they were both experiencing.

Soon he cracked a smile, his rationality vanishing, smashed by the utter insanity that was the situation and he felt logic replaced by primal cravings.

Without hesitation he then pushed the girl on the bed and took the lead, she yelped in surprise as he started to step up the thrusting pace, roughing up the state of pleasure and bringing new waves of excitement for the two of them.

"_**M-More~!**_"

The girl demanded, even though she was completely submitted to the animal-like needs of the young man above her, but she knew as much as him that they both _needed this_.

A grunt and soon the pace picked up even more, more of her juice leaving her lower mouth as Hoitsu was ready to spray her inner walls white.

He could feel the build-up, his nether heating up more and more in preparation of the climax of that rough sex.

It was just so… important. It felt important!

Yes, he needed to go forward, more and more!

Akeno tensed up, her eyes going wide as he was sprayed with a torrent of love nectar, showing that she climaxed already.

A pity, he wanted to mutter, but soon he was going to reward her too with his love.

He was almost there, he could feel ready to deliver some creamy milk right at the waiting oven.

His mind was fragmenting, only lust remaining and…

_Then Akeno decided to kiss him, arms pulling his head down for her to get a sloppy kiss on him._

He blinked.

_**And everything made sense.**_

There was nothing in that kiss. Differently from the one he received just… a few hours ago.

His memory slowly returning to his brain much to the confusion of the Akeno below him- No, the _impostor_ looking like the Himejima.

He might have ignored the details that made her stand out compared to the dark-haired girl, first and foremost being that there wasn't any blood on the sheets nor near their sexes.

She looked like she knew things, taking the lead while he was… unconscious. They were both tired, the capacity of pulling so much until now unrealistic and- this wasn't even his room!

It looked like… a Love Hotel room. His eyes squinted at the new light and then narrowed at the sultry-smile in 'Akeno's face.

"Who are you?" He demanded forcefully, eyes filled with utter anger as he stared down at this impostor.

She giggled in an ominous way.

"_**Why, I'm but just a wet dream~!**_"

_Wait, wha-_

**Hoitsu woke up at the sudden wetness spreading in his underwear.**

He was sweating profusely, eyes blinking quickly and fearfully as he tried to understand what was going on. Soon his attention shifted to the trembling girl staring right at him.

"Y-You too?" Akeno asked in a trembling voice, her question bringing up to his notice that the hand connected to the arm she was holding so dearly was also feeling rather… wet.

_Oh no._

_**U-Uh? What happened?**_

_You mean that you didn't see that?!_

_**I don't know what you are talking about.**_

'**Did something happen? We were sleeping until you woke up to… this.**'

The young man frowned, his free hand slowly patting the terrified girl's head. She was receptive of the comforting action but she seemed rather shaken by what just happened.

"H-How- How did you wake up?"

She blinked at the sudden question, losing some time to think and regain some control over her mouth, but she ended up replying with a single word.

"K-Kiss."

He froze, surprised at the reply but also intrigued at how things unfolded for Akeno… before he looked up and saw something… cracking.

The small magical seal was giving off a purplish hue and the structure of such magical construct was… similar to Youjustu.

…

_I am going to tase that woman._

"I-I think I know what happened." He sighed tiredly while glancing at the slowly-recovering Akeno. "It's- It's not your fault. We will deal with _her_ tomorrow."

She blinked, shivering a little more before nodding. "O-Okay- and t-thank you."

'Thank you for not pointing out the wet pool forming on the sheets right below my belly.'

Hoitsu nodded and spent the rest of the night keeping watch over an utterly terrified Akeno as she slowly tried to regain some sleep.

He was seething, he was infuriated that something this humiliating and uncalled for had just happened.

_**Revenge is going to be bitter, from how your anger is bubbling- by the way, what exactly happened?**_

… _It would be difficult to explain._

_**Oh… really~?-**_

_Yes! And I will not reply to questions about it anymore._

_**...Seriously?**_

* * *

**AN**

**Some good dating and… I'm sorry if the chapter seems short as the lemon did take more than it expected it to take.**

**It was an awkward situation, it's been a while since I wrote one and… yep, it was awkward.**

**About the Lemon****: Why was it a 'dream'? I thought sex after just a date, **_**especially for Akeno**_**, was just too weird. I settled with Kissing, knowing full well that, despite her interest in **_**crazy stuff,**_** she is still very keen to take it slow in that kind of relationship.**

**Also, I will create **_**two versions**_** of this chapter, one without the Lemon and one Uncensored so… yeah, that's it.**

_**Future milestone 1: 820 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**ARSLOTHES****: Indeed.**

**Ascandas****: He will get something… a little more powerful. Much unexpected!**

**Ribbitfroggy****: It will happen!**

**Scrumblenut****: Thanks!**

**Aselo****: Because it still follows the main DxD timeline, with others adding up.**

**IdioticHypocriticalNEET****: He has some shady motivations for stealing Lucifer's remains.**


	49. Realization, Fragmentation

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter ****48: Realization, Fragmentation**

* * *

Kuroka considered herself particularly relaxed until she walked to the living room's table that morning.

She had been quite responsible with the two young girls, keeping them from straying from the walk to the nearest restaurant, sadly a mediocre pick but one that had some affordable prices for food of various kind.

The return back to the house was uneventful, both Kunou and Shirone too tired from 'trying to explore' around much to the older Nekoshou's relief as she was starting to feel sluggish herself.

It was a late hour and the young woman certainly didn't need to face any particular issue right in that exact moment, thus once she had both girls dropped by the kitsune's room, she went swiftly to her room. It was initially set as a guest room, but some quick action saw it turning in a decent nest for the time being.

The dark-haired girl found sleep rather easily, the carefree tone of their current situation somewhat sleep-inducing if not sedating for her quirky personality.

It was a curious change, one that she didn't certainly like because of how slow things were going and how she felt aimless about the whole predicament, but not overly-annoying nor limiting for her needs.

Sure, Kuroka now had to accept the fact she couldn't spar with Akua just as few days earlier and even the vampire mentioned the fact she would be 'missing' fighting her, but it wasn't something anyone could do much about it.

At least she use this time to rest just a little and maybe get closer a little more with her little sister. Things weren't as bleak as they initially appeared.

_At least that was the case until the unexpected wave of dread hit her fully_.

Her keen cat-like senses were more than deafened by the immediate sense of fear she felt the moment she properly sat by the table. The young woman paled, eyes going wide as she felt her cat ears twitch in attention.

A quick look around the table was enough to discern the culprit of such a terrifying deed. Hoitsu's eyes were narrowed at the Nekoshou, a powerful glare that sent some cold chills down her spine.

She blinked, surprise painted in her face as the young man seemed quite _angry_ at her.

Certainly not something she was aware of, or she wouldn't have trifled with a simple breakfast approach if she knew… what was going on.

"Kuroka." His voice was calm, _terribly_ calm. Like the prelude of a mighty storm.

"Yes?" The young woman managed to catch herself from stuttering.

There was a brief pause, everyone at the table seemed to notice that something was off with the owner of the house… all except Akeno.

Speaking of the young girl that spent the whole night with Hoitsu, Kuroka was surprised by the somber glance she was given by the Himejima. She looked strangely… 'smaller' than usual.

Such an odd detail, the Nekoshou knowing full well, just like everyone else having the chance of endear such an individual, that Baraqiel's daughter was all but frail in a normal instance.

So… what was going on?

"Do you have anything to say… about yesterday?"

...And she was lost.

She didn't certainly forward any ambitious plan the day before, her full attention was 'selfishly' put on the two girls she was responsible for during their visit at the restaurant.

Did she give off anything that could be taken badly by both of them?

No, it had to be something… bigger. Her cogs were spinning but nothing was coming up at her right now.

"If I say that I honestly know nothing about what you are alluding to, are you going to get angrier or-"

His glare deepened. Yep, something did happen it would seem…

"There was a magical seal in the ceiling above my bed. Do you perhaps know anyone capable of concocting a Youjustu-based spell that causes some… _lewd _events in dreams."

Akeno flinched, Issei and Asia froze and finally gave attention to the matter by the way their eyes widened at the same time, Xenovia looked confused but interested altogether, Irina was merely listening to the situation in silence and…

_Two young, but possibly incredibly guilty girls were fidgeting nervously, showing some hints of surprise and embarrassment._

And while the two unfortunate victims of what just happened were unaware of that development, Kuroka had her eyes already trained at the duo.

"Kuroka-" Hoitsu tried to bring her attention back to the subject, but the Nekoshou decided to intervene.

"I may or may not have taught some Youjutsu to Shirone-chan." The dark-haired woman's tone was calm, blank… slightly hopeful that it wasn't the case, that she was just being mistaken. "And I reckon a 'Dream Shifter' spell is pretty easy for someone starting with Yokai Arts."

The comments weren't lost and soon the two girls were turned in the subjects of everyone's attention.

"Ku-chan." There was a tense tone, gone was the anger... or at least subsided by how things had shifted to another different situation.

While the evidence until now could easily point at the dark-haired cat-girl, she wasn't certainly going to mess up things so easily. Admittedly, that plan could have been a good plan… for anyone that wasn't Hoitsu.

But to think that rule-stickler Shirone and Kunou would be responsible for that annoying circumstance? The Nekoshou was sure that it would explain the weird nervousness both girls sported the day before.

And yet, as the two sweated nervously at how things turned on them, something akin to a protective sense swelled within Shirone's older sister.

For now staying her hand was the best decision, but if she caught anything… unpleasant about the punishment then she would merrily help her Imouto.

It was Kunou that snapped first. "I-I thought it would just give you good dreams. _Romantic_ dreams." The kitsune corrected herself quickly, her partner-in-crime having her eyes going wide as the blonde shouldered the blame. "Ko-senpai mentioned about this spell a-and I thought it would have been a nice thing to do. A gift and-"

"I'm the one that messed up the spell." The silver-haired girl interrupted, her tone like steel as she didn't pause even an inch. "Ku-kohai's intent was legitimately good, I should be punished for causing this harassment-"

"No, I-" The kitsune tried to interrupt only to receive a stern look from her surrogate brother.

"You both are getting punished." Hoitsu declared calmly and resolutely. "Since you two were evenly splitting the fault, you shall both deal with a proper punishment."

He blinked glancing at Akeno. "And I think I've the thing that could work." His smile promised much, but of course nothing too light for the two girls.

"Akeno-chan, are you free today?"

The Himejima blinked in surprise at the sudden question, eyes wide open, but she then frowned.

"I have to visit Gasper before lunch, but I should be free after that..." She blinked. "Can I ask you what are you planning?"

His eyes slowly turned at the two panicking young girls. "Well, there is this section of the house that requires some cleaning and I've been planning for a while now to work on it- but since this situation happened, I thought why not have this two willing hard-workers dealing with the task?"

"N-Niichan, surely that is too much-"

"The seal was siphoning natural energy from the area it was placed." He interjected calmly, both Kuroka's and Koneko's eyes widening before the eldest frowned at the youngest, Koneko now sporting a mortified look.

"If Akeno and I didn't break from the spell in time, we would have woken up with the weakened ceiling that could as well collapsed on us." The young man finished.

"W-What?" Irina was the one to express the utter confusion she shared with Xenovia.

"I-I might not know how Magic works, but that sounds… wrong?"

"It's actually a simple misconception." Asia muttered quietly, cheeks reddening as the Exorcists (ex-Exorcist for Xenovia's case) looked at her for an explanation. "People that aren't much knowing of Magical Arts are prone to believe that a draining Magic Seal absorbs unused energy first rather than focusing in complex figures, either organic as living beings or inorganic as furniture and… the ceiling in Hoitsu-nii's bedroom."

"It's actually the opposite." Issei helped up much to the former nun's relief. "Seals prioritize large energetic concentrations than simple units."

"Thus rendering life-threatening this whole ordeal if the two hadn't woken up in time." Kuroka added, eyes lecturing quietly her sister, a strong scene from someone that is known to go easy on the silver-haired girl. "This punishment… is a fine price in my opinion."

"Good." Hoitsu nodded. "Akeno-san, you will be left to monitor those two after lunch. Their task will be to clean up the left-side of the first floor."

The Himejima blinked, yet one could easily see something _snapping _within her soul. "I-I have to monitor them." Her voice was unsure, but not of the requirements of the task. No, Kuroka was certain the issue was _elsewhere._

"Just punish them if they are really misbehaving and with some moderation in those occasions." Her smile widened even at the limitations imposed on her 'power', the girl nodding happily.

"I-I will make sure they complete their work without any issues."

Kunou and Koneko shivered in dread at the fact they have been assigned… possibly the worst warden. And not only was Akeno going to have some capacity in punishing them if they tried to ditch the punishment, but she was also one of the very victims of this occasion.

Their fate was sealed!

Just as the breakfast came to a close, the 'worst' for now over, Hoitsu turned to stare at Kuroka once more.

"By the way, Kuroka, I would need an experienced Magic user to help me with the lesson with Xenovia and Irina-"

"An apology." The young woman interrupted with a small smile.

The teen sighed. "I'm sorry for doubting your innocence, Kuroka-sama- Uh? What?"

He stopped the moment the dark-haired Nekoshou started to shake her head in disappointment.

"'Kuroka-chan'." She corrected the young man with a mirthful smile.

… He sighed.

"I'm sorry for doubting your innocence, _Kuroka-chan_."

"See? It's not difficult." She said, pulling out from one of the pockets in her kimono a small phone. "And that is going to my little treasury."

Hoitsu facepalmed. "You got to be kidding me..."

She giggled but nodded. "I will be your second teacher for those two rookies over there." Her smile widened, sending some chills to both sword-wielding specialists. "It's going to be a unique experience, that's for sure!"

* * *

Regret was easy to perceive in the gloomy bunch of emotions that could be used to define how wrong I've been in having Kuroka to help me up with this lesson.

_**We should have seen that once coming.**_

_Seriously? We are talking of a very old movie-_

_**A classic! A classic is never too old, you fool!**_

Despite having promised Xenovia that the training was going to be based on improving social skills, I also got from her the promise of having her improve with her magic. I could perceive her reserves and, compared to Irina at least, the blue-haired girl _needed_ to get her magical core expanded at once.

The abandoned baseball camp nearby home was the best place to hone the usage of magic, the perfect place to meditate and-

"Listen up, you two cute morons." The Nekoshou barked with a stern tone. "Today shall be the first day of your new life. A life of hardships, of growth and most of important of them all, a life away from the inadequacies of being a moron!"

The young woman stood right in front of the brunette. "Let's start with you, lovely one. What's your name?"

Irina was shivering a little at the tone, panicking at the sudden question but mumbling something out. "I-Irina- I-I mean, I-Irina Shirou, M-Ma'am."

"Slow, you are going to be Meek Snail until this day is over!" The Nekoshou proclaimed leaving no room for protest.

The newly-named 'Meek Snail' deflated at the nickname but Kuroka seemed far from over with her act.

Xenovia tensed up as it was her turn.

"Oh? Do we have ourselves a Tough Cookie? I think that name fits well, what do you think, Tough Cookie!?" I almost facepalmed, the perverted remix of Sergeant Hartman's acting style wasn't lost to me. Full Metal Jacket is now ruined for me-

"Cookies are delicious and I'm tough, Kuroka-sensei!" The former exorcist replied with the same energy shown by the 'instructor', causing the young woman to grin happily.

"Good! Then I suppose you will be able to deal with simple 'Strings', aren't you?"

Xenovia barely managed to move quickly enough to catch the flying book mid-air and I glanced at it with some curiosity- Wait, isn't that-

"Indeed, Hokkun, that is your first book about magic." The Nekoshou nodded my way, never once losing her momentum. "She is your student- well, both unofficially are, but they might need some help by following their teacher's steps."

_...That's actually considerate of her. That book DO help early on._

_**We would have risked some unnecessary explosion without it. **_

_I guess we were- Wait, 'Hokkun'?!_

"Hokkun, Kuroka-"

"Also remember that I will give two chocolate cookies to the one who manage to get Hokkun all tied up." The young woman happily set this challenge, causing Xenovia to look confused at the reward while… Irina rushed through the book, almost tearing some of its pages in the process.

_I think I was sold for… two cookies?_

_**Chocolate ones are delicious.**_

_And… Irina is the one going for it? Why?!_

I blinked back to reality, just in time to dodge a… _Silver Lining coming from the brunette._

The girl was sporting a child-like smile, calmly advancing towards me. "Hoitsu-san, I _need_ those cookies."

_That's the worst reason to attack someone- _

I ducked and avoided two more strings, Irina now rushing towards me with abnormal determination for the reward promised. "Hoitsu-san!"

Without hesitation,_ I spun around and proceeded for my merry way._ "Nigerundayo!"

I've to admit that the girl proved to have some insane drive behind her actions, a devotion second only to a bunch of people as she managed to keep up for a good twenty minutes of intense chase before I managed to lose her in some of the town's corners.

Fierce but also utterly mad for… _goddamn cookies_.

_**A cookie-monster! What are the chances?!**_

I decided to sit down, having taken refuge in the roof of one of the few small buildings around Kuoh, trying to get a grasp over my current plans.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Monday was going to be filled with getting the new headquarters operative in Kuoh Town, having to meet up with Azazel to discuss the cooperation with the Four Satans and-

And…

_**AND!**_

My eyes widened, blood draining from my face as I saw _him, _staring from afar but… _his_ eyes were on me!

_T-This is not happening! Not again!_

'**H-His power! What is he?!**'

_**This is so bad! We need to move before he-**_

"So I was right back then." The cloaked figure _smiled_ as his cloak parted to reveal _an infinite numbers of wings. _"_**Not-Helel!**_"

He _soared majestically, like a powerful comet-_

* * *

**Two weeks before Chapter 1…**

Another day at school, another day spent dealing with Issei and preparing him a little to face the approaching storm.

He was far from his initial perverted self, having mollified a little after some 'good incentives' from my part. The Council's duties were easy to manage and the part-time jobs weren't terrible to deal just after school.

I yawned, my eyes half-closed as I was ready to hit the day and catch some rest for the following day.

Sleep, school and maybe some training for tomorrow.

I nodded, I needed some extra-time to fully refine **Silver Linings**, but I felt more and more close to reach some breakthrough. I needed some… more practice, yes.

And while the 'support' spell was going to require more attentions, I was proud of the fact I could perceive some energies pattern already. Nothing too precise, just enough to catch big ones like… Rias, Akeno and most of the Devils at Kuoh Academy.

There was nothing that hinted at Fallen Angels, either because they weren't in Kuoh Town or because they knew how to hide their patterns… which would make my life rather difficult.

I sighed, pushing away those troublesome thoughts for later, when my mind wasn't as tired and spent as it was now at least. But just as I turned the core, I felt a sudden wave of _cold_ wash over me.

**Ba-dump.**

A heartbeat?

I felt it just once, a moment that was drowned by… utter silence.

I blinked, stopping for a moment while looking around with some confusion and… caution.

I was fairly sure that there had been some people around there just as I was turning the corner and yet this part of the city felt… empty.

No, it wasn't just that part of the city. _I-It was the whole Kuoh Town!_

I couldn't feel anyone, not Rias, not Sona and…

My eyes fell at the cloaked figure calmly walking from the opposite direction I was going. His face was… covered by shadows?

It wasn't an effect created by the cloak, it was literally _shadows _covering his identity.

I stood my ground, tensing up as I felt no ill intent from the figure, nor any energy.

_I-It was like I was staring at nothing!_

"W-Who are you?!" I yelled at him, I was graced with more silence as he continued forward, uncaring of my aggressive tone.

Then he suddenly stopped and… _the world started to move quicker than before_.

I blinked, my mind realizing several instants later that I've crashed onto some building's wall, pain surging just after realizing I was attacked. My leg, it was bent all to the left, my bones shattered.

It went limp, completely limp. I screamed, my first pain in this world was excruciating.

It was burning but also cold, scorching and freezing.

My surviving back wobbled before I fell on the ground, finally noticing that this wasn't the same cemented side-walk. It was… dirt.

I blinked staring up and… noticing some trees. I was… in a forest. Staring deeper at the path in front of me I saw… a distant city.

Very distant, I would say… 20 kilometers at best-

No.

Nonono.

My arms were trembling, but the adrenaline was finally beginning to assuage the pain, just enough for me to slowly get up from the floor and… stare at the clearing all around me.

I turned to look behind and yelped at the sudden appearance of the cloaked figure. He didn't say anything at first, not even as I fell frightened on the floor once more, this time a silver string forming in my hand.

I was in pain, my Magical Core burning in desperation as the arm holding the string was reinforced, the strong pull tearing off the ground the slim tree and sending it flying against the monster in front of me.

He didn't move, letting the trunk shatter as it impacted on his waiting fist.

I blinked, hopelessness reigning as he crouched, silently touching my mashed leg while sighing.

"Not enough?" He questioned softly, drawing just a confused frown by me as I felt my body's fatigue _removed_ and my leg's pain slowly forgotten as it started to _recompose itself back._

My magical energy was restored too and… I wasn't able to formulate anything at this insanity happening with me at the center of it.

I should be feeling something around me, yet I could see nor hear any of the animals of this forest.

**Everything… was too silent.**

"Again." A quick signal, I brought my arms up to guard just in time as I felt flying again, this time my brain accustomed to this surreal predicament. Instinctively, I reinforced my whole body, straining once more my Core as I crashed onto something.

Metal gave away as I found myself thrown inside an empty… factory? I would say a steel-focused one by the absurd number of steel beams lying unused all around.

I merely glimpsed at the large hole that my body created, the brief sight of a blur approaching was enough to get me to act quickly.

Hundreds of Silver Linings formed, my mind overriding the aches of my Magical core as _every single _steel beam was now a weapon to use against this monster.

He was almost there, I could see him coming and- _The strings pulled the steel at an unforgiving speed, all towards the incoming fiend._

He didn't move away from the dangerous objects flying towards him, merely slamming into those and _bending them _with his body. I was breathing raggedly, my eyes wide open at my attacker.

"W-What are you? W-Why are you doin-"

I was sent flying at the sound of words that felt like 'Not enough'.

This time my new destination wasn't a building or a natural place, but… I was dunked in some water.

It was salty, my hands were by my mouth and nose as I felt panic rising the more this madness unfolded. I- Kuoh isn't nowhere near the sea a-and I was _so deep in that… that ocean._

My mind might have lost faith in my survival, but one thing I was noticed the more this 'fight' continued.

**Everything… Everything was dead!**

There were no animals, no people-

It was a sick game between this being and me.

But why me of all people? Thi-This wasn't normal, even for a Self-Insert!

I blinked, my eyes burning at the salty water and I had trouble keeping myself from letting go of the limited air I had when I found myself staring at the shadowed face.

_**NOT ENOUGH!**_

A powerful command, I didn't react much as he took me by my neck and _lifted me up._

I was drenched and the chilling wind _that only one sent up above the clouds _could feel was… not good for my poor body.

I sneezed, I was freezing up and then… I noticed that I wasn't free-falling to my death.

He was there once more, in front of me. There were… _so many wings._

It was beyond a hundred. All of those… feeling familiar somehow.

"Helel." The figure finally spoke. "You… promised."

He started to fly closer. "Y-You promised _that_ to me."

I was panicking once again, this wasn't alright. THIS WASN'T NORMAL!

He paused, his posture assuming some confused tone.

"_He is not him_."

"He is him."

"**He has to be him! He is the only one that could be him!**"

"_Maybe, but he is not~!_"

"Liar. He is him."

...Was he talking to himself? His lips moved, but the voices were three different ones.

"_Ask him then!_"

"I will ask him."

"**Yes! Ask him!**"

Oh for fuck's sake, couldn't I just be left alone?

"Helel?"

… "W-What?" My throat was hurting a little. The issue of dealing with being for a while under the sea for Gods' know how many meters deep.

"You are Helel? You are Helel."

He sounded… insecure?

"I-I'm not… Helel."

L-Let me go!

He paused, so noise, no sound… nothing. He was stuck there, waiting for something and then… he nodded.

"Not… Helel." He said slowly, his lips testing the two words. "You are Not-Helel."

...What the fu-

_**GAH!**_

A sudden sharp pain hit my head, I felt my mind exploding in utter fire and soon I was free-falling to my death.

Blood poured out of my lips, drops of it flying out in a parallel pattern as my body as I slowly felt my consciousness sleep.

Was this… the end?

I coughed, I couldn't properly think and… soon my eyes closed as I waited for my last breath to come-

"**I will see you later, Non-Helel.**"

White engulfed me and…

_**BZZZZZZZZZZT!**_

I jumped in surprise, the sound of the alarm causing me to fall off the bed and…

…

W-What just happened?

I slowly got off from the floor, a small headache still incapacitating me from making full thoughts and…

Uh…

Why I couldn't… remember what just happened?

I felt like it was important, _**it was important**_, but I couldn't pinpoint what…

Oh shit.

I stared at the clock and swore under my breath at the late hour I did end up waking up to. I was going to be late for school and… Sona was going to bring more paperwork in.

Whatever just happened, it had to wait. If something like that just eluded my remembrance, it shouldn't be anything that much important…

_**Right?**_

* * *

**AN**

**Nightmare fuel much? Eh, tried to bring the worst out of our newest Villain.**

**Some extra explanation will be given in the next chapters, there is a lot of complex details to give and Azrael is… not even the 'main' antagonist of this story.**

**Brace yourself! Things are going to get pretty crazy over here!**

_**Future milestone 1: 820 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**People with pitchforks and torches against Kuroka:**** You just activated my trap card! (and it ain't Gasper!)**

**Guest (Chapter 47)****: I know, been having some RL issues and… something will happen this Monday, I promise.**

**Illusion of Time****: I'm trying to juggle stuff up, I'm sorry if things seem quite frail (explanations and MC's backstory), those will be majorly improved in this Volume as I do intend explore… everything now. Volume 3 was a build-up and Volume 4 is the proper consolidation.**

**Kirosyamcha****: Asia was pretty naive and without anyone, so help was taken when granted. Issei crushed on Asia since day one (this is actually canon). Issei's parents are just like that, it is never explained how they just roll with some stuff… but they do. The reason they didn't need any mind magic was because they weren't 'forced' to take her in, they were helpful because Asia was both a good person to help with the chores and also a good deterrent for Issei against pervy stuff. This last reason is because they want him to marry and have lots of kids cause they never had the chance to have a big family (several miscarriages before Issei's birth and all).**


	50. Heavenly Beating, Sinful Declination

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter ****49: Heavenly Beating, Sinful Declination**

* * *

I have to recover.

**I need to recover!**

The figure's smile was as unnerving, the violence behind his attacks just like back then. I was reactive enough to dodge most of them, the rest was deflected as the risk of being sent flying once more wasn't… endearing as it might sound like.

Apophis' wings materialized on my back, I whispered a 'Kaioken x2' as I decided that fighting in Kuoh Town wasn't going to be ideal nor acceptable.

The bastard was strong, much stronger than even Rizevim and his speed was nothing to scoff at.

Flying swiftly through the limpid sky, the smiling monster had plenty of chances to beat me in the race that ensued, my very attempts to get him out of the unprotected city several times in jeopardy… but he decided against it.

I stopped, there were no cities, towns or villages around and… he stopped too.

His face, it was no longer covered by shadows. He _looked_ human, at least until the demonic smile plastered on his face. He didn't dare to attack and I frowned.

_What is he waiting for?_

_**He s-should- what are we supposed to do right now!?**_

'**Flaring your energy might get some people's attention. We need reinforcements more than ever.**'

_**D-Do you have any suggestions about what is he?**_

'**Nothing too accurate. Something… he is something that is close but opposed to Shadows themselves.**'

"Who are you!" I demanded impatiently. "And why are you at-"

My eyes widened as I ducked away from a punch trying to deck me right on my face.

"Rude!" I snarled as I switched in my Senjutsu mode and tried to kick his back. He spun around almost instantly, dodging the attack and_ crying?_

_What?!_

"S-So much like him!" The attacker exclaimed with demented joy, his smile threatening to split his face in half. "Just like he said! You are here, yet I didn't believe, I didn't remember-"

This time my punch did hit him squarely in his face. His head recoiled, surprise quickly replacing awe and joy.

He stood there, stuck in that position like some living statue.

I frowned as the dread wasn't certainly diminishing after landing my first hit on the nutjob._** Quite the contrary.**_

He started to laugh, it was slow as it picked a soft giggling that soon turned in a full-fledged maniacal laugh. "I-It's just like back then."

The brief moment of insanity was temporary, his crazed look shifting to a blank expression as he regained some composure. "What a silly notion." He muttered quietly, his stare turning right at me.

A small smile, his soulless eyes poking at my very core. "Of course_** you are supposed to be like him**_."

I blinked, blocking just in time as the blurred kick sent me flying upwards, far above some of the clouds around. Huffing, the pain was negligible as I saw him approaching, the crazy black blur already back to the offensive.

_I thought we could have held without going that far-_

_**We need to synchronize right now!**_

'**Caution is still… you know what, let's just deal with him until someone can **_**take him out**_**.**'

The **Twilight Joker **armor formed just in time, my senses enchanted to the maximum and soon I was able to properly see and intercept the approaching friend.

Surprise flashed once more in his face but he couldn't move quickly enough to avoid the armored punch driving deep in his chest.

I expected to hear something cracking, my eyes widened in shock as I just felt something squishy letting my fist… _inside?!_

I pulled out from the dark mud, brushing the substance away as the being backed away quickly.

"O-Oh my-" He stared wide-eyed at his upper chest, now sporting a small hole caved in it. He blinked and nodded to himself. "T-That's something. B-but it's far from** that day**. More, we are too close to stop-!"

I didn't let him finish, the full-powered Masenko slamming his whole body and pushing him away from where I was floating. He wasn't making opposition to the beam of light, the figure letting the energy wave completely take him in a loud and noisy explosion.

Blinking in confusion, I slowly prepared for another assault, stance ready to counter whatever crap I was going to deal with. I stood there, stuck in a guarded frame, but my attention was suddenly diverted away.

The cloud of dark smoke created by the explosion dissipated instantly as a sudden surge of air blasted everything around. The epicenter of this was the very cloaked figure.

He smiled, staring up as he held his arms spread open as his wings took him few feet above me.

"It's not enough. Maybe I did something wrong." He sighed tiredly. "Maybe a reset. Yes, that could- let's just end the rest so we can-"

My eyes widened, the incoherent mess of words giving little to no sign of what was going on inside his head, but I could recognize 'reset' and allude to what 'the rest' meant to him.

I rushed towards him, prepared to stop him before he could truly reset time while also kill everyone else _when_ something much faster, more annoyed and terribly white slashed the figure in half.

Vali's Scale Mail was still pristine, the speed with which he carried the clean cut having driven off the strange mud off from his armor before it could stain it. He glanced at me, from the 'mighty spot' he ended up floating about, but my attention was still fixed on 'what' was left of the strange being.

The two halves slammed together as a transparent magical orb giving off a dark-hue started to… _put him back together._

Moments passed, but I was already rushing back to the attack, ignoring the minor scowl present on the monster's face.

The form was optimally stable thus I decided to cut the chase and step up to the Kaioken x2 with the **Twilight Joker**. He didn't have a chance of reacting, my fist drilling this time his face.

His nose and jaws were crushed instantly, his eyes snapping open in surprise at the sudden bout of pain. This time the hit sent him careening away from me, forcing the creature to put some effort to stop his brief flight.

He blinked, smile chiming in once more as I resumed my attacks with Vali following close behind me.

"Don't give him any rest!" I barked loudly at the young Lucifer, my eyes sticking by the recovering monster rather than turning to address the fellow teen. "I don't know how, but he can erase humanity with a spell, he is trying to do that."

There wasn't any hint from the white-haired boy to slow down, rather his speed increased severely at hearing such a warning.

The smiling monster tried to raise a protective stance but our dual punches smacked him before he could prepare himself and counter our offensive. It was a pure and blissful beating, the figure having little chance of dodging or even blocking the attacks from the two of us.

It was a one-sided massacre that lifted my hopes a little for a quick end to this nightmare-like encounter. Maybe this wasn't going to end up in something horrible nor terrible.

My expectations dropped the moment some hands grasped at our necks, breaking through the respective armors and starting to choke us both.

He wasn't smiling anymore but there was amusement playing in his features. My eyes regained focus, my sudden shock replaced by confusion as… he had four arms.

Sprouting out of his cloak and creating new holes in the cloth, the new pair of limbs was muscled, toned as it strongly squeezed around my throat.

"Strong, very strong." He commented with a dull but loud voice. "You are stronger than expected…** but it's not enough!**"

Panic surged, my first reaction being throwing a swift kick at the aggressor. The hit slammed in his face, causing him to pause, his hold over us decreasing as we managed to quickly break free.

_**We need to hit him harder!**_

"Vali, can you hold him still?"

The teen was forming his Balance Breaker once more, head snapping my way at the sudden question but nodding as quickly as he heard it.

His armored hand pointed at the mysterious man and he loudly called for Divine Dividing's trademark ability. "**Divide**."

The effect was immediate, the monster bending over in sudden pain and shock… while Vali's Scale Mail started to crack visibly while his energy-based wings were burning much more than usual.

"**H-Half Dimension!**"

A pocket zone created to subside, reduce and manipulate things and beings held within its action range. The cloaked bastard was subsequently reduced to half of the stature it once had, but he was quickly trying to break free from his new limitations.

I huffed as I spread my arms, palms open wide as I felt energy starting to channel within my hands.

_**We just have four minutes in this form, if you use that we might end up wasting too much energy against him and fall unconscious.**_

_I have some Phoenix's Tears on me. It should be enough to keep me going even without this form._

'**But still… I feel that you are gathering energy from yourself… and all around you. Whatever spell you planned to use, it will be incredibly unstable.**'

_**The technique is meant to be unstable… the issue is that is far stronger than anything we have used until now.**_

_We will pull through this._

My arms started to shake, the energy filtering through the limbs starting to get way too much for my coils to hold… and I still wasn't even at half of the power I needed.

Vali's groans were now quite present and increasing, the host of the Vanishing Dragon starting to lose control over the Half Dimension and I knew I had to gather much more.

I blinked and sighed. "**Kaioken times Four**."

A new spark of energy, far stronger than usual, brought new vigor to my efforts and soon the process of channeling power was boosted up to mere seconds.

The strains were quick to appear as I felt my muscles burn intensively at the pressure the technique was putting them on, but my adrenaline and my focus onto the still-struggling figure were enough to keep me from breaking apart.

"**F-Final-**" I brought my arms forward, my wrists pressing one against the other as I felt the full connection of the two sources of energy starting to heat up. "**FLASH!**"

It wasn't like the Kamehameha, nor like the Masenko. The Final Flash was… _much more draining_.

I felt empty, completely spent but I was graced by the sight of the arc of light slamming and blasting the living out of the monster while his pained yells fill the sky. Vali dispelled the **Half Dimension**, eyes widening at the show bestowed by the promised attack.

I was forced out of everything, ready to gracefully go through some free-falling… again.

Yet, while blinking as my body started to fight back the stress put on it, I noticed that… _I wasn't falling to the ground._

I was floating, like before when I had Apophis' wings to support me up… and then I finally felt a pair of small arms softly wrapping around me from behind.

I glanced back, catching just one of the two dark-themed wings flapping calmly and, feeling a small head nuzzling right onto my upper back.

"O-Ophis?"

The nuzzling stopped for a moment, then a simple word.

"Yes." The Infinity Dragon said blankly.

_**The cavalry has arrived!**_

And she wasn't alone. Soon after, several other individuals appeared.

I saw Azazel donning the Down Fall Dragon Mail armor, Gabriel and Michael standing close to one of his sides while the Four Satans standing on the other.

They were all ready for a fight, staring right at the… _charred piece of darkened flesh starting to rebuild into the mysterious man._

Michael advanced while bringing a strange box up, Gabriel floating right beside him in a protective manner.

The weird container looked like a treasure chest, the lock looking rather… odd for some reason. The hole which should represent the size of the key needed to open it was… nonexistent. There was no way to open that box once it was closed so… it had to be magical.

_**Maybe it's a containment device?**_

'**Its seals are unknown to me but… the power hidden in those should be able to deal with incredible monsters… like your attacker.**'

"Azrael, brother." The Regent of Heaven called out to the recomposing figure, my eyes going wide open for a moment as I did recognize that name from the Bible. Might have not been the fervent Catholic back in my previous life… but I knew well enough who was the Angel of Death in Christian Mythology.

The Wisest, the Bearer of Humanity's final moments, Azrael is considered the leader of the Third Heaven and… also one of the strongest (if not the strongest) angels.

Four hundreds of wings, his body represented each and every aspect of humanity. This last detail meant to help him in the sorrowful duty of bringing death to those that were ready to pass through.

At least that was the known Christian concept of him, the 'brief' encounter hardly giving me the impression that I was facing an Angel. There wasn't anything of Light within his soul and body, his wings being of various kind and only a few of those matching up to angels' ones.

The chest suddenly sprung open as multiple chains tied to the groaning piece of flesh, starting to retract the carcass inside itself. The process was quick, the chest closing with a swift 'snap' as seals of various kind appeared on it and stayed over even after the glow coming from those dissipated.

My hand went to pick up the small bottle containing the Phoenix's Tears out of my pocket as I drunk it absently, the healing effect immediate. "T-That was rather a close one…" I turned to Michael and blinked. "What was that?"

The Archangel looked sad but didn't dispense any answer to that, picking the box and slowly starting to fly away with an even-sadder Gabriel on tow.

"While I understand your wishes to not tell Hoitsu-san about Azrael, I demand with the full agreement of the Four Satans that you explain to us why was he free to begin with." Sirzechs chimed him, some of his fellow Satans nodding as to confirm such a statement.

The Archangel stopped, looked back and… sighed. "He… He wasn't free."

_What?_

"Now that sounds utter crap, Mike." Azazel huffed in annoyance. "We both know Big G created that box to make sure our nutty friend couldn't get out during his frenzies."

"B-Brother Michael is correct." Gabriel stuttered back, looking incredibly embarrassed.

_**Gabriel never stutters, she was just too… uncaring of some dangers to be this much cautious.**_

_Something was different in this case and I wouldn't even question the fact what we just fought was only the tip of a massive iceberg._

"That's impossible." The Governor-General looked surprised, his tone mirroring his expression now rendered visible by the fact the Fallen Angel dropped his Scale Mail. "The seals there are strong enough to keep… 'that other thing' from causing chaos all around for some months, Azrael might be strong but… not so much."

"His powers have grown unstable ever since that incident few decades ago." The Heavenly Regent mused tiredly. "He has been… restless, ditching his duties for… observations."

"'Observations'?" Rias' brother questioned. "What kind of 'Observations'?"

"Nothing overly-strange I would say." The Archangel admitted. "He did seem to prefer looking around Japan but…" He stopped, a confused frown forming in his face. "A-Actually, I don't remember much about this but… he did seem quite _happy_ a month or so ago."

I tensed, Ophis' hold tightening comfortably in response while I shifted nervously much… to everyone's confusion.

"Something you need to tell us, kid?" Azazel pointed out quickly, causing me to sigh tiredly and… nod right at him.

"I- I forgot about this back when it happened. It was surreal and… I'm lucky to be alive right now." Some frowned at this ominous premise but I decided to deviate for a moment. "Before I tell this, I need to ask you something important, Michael. It's… it's essential."

The Seraph blinked in surprise but nodded. "If it is something I can answer to… I shall try to give you a proper reply."

I nodded and… spoke. "What is a reset?"

…

Both Angels and the Governor-General tensed at the query, the Devils looking mostly confused but intrigued by the reaction from the other factions' leaders.

"W-Where did you learn about this word?" Azazel asked without hesitation, the stutter more of a byproduct of the brief surprise.

"I-"

"It was Azrael for sure." Michael replied with a serious tone. "But I found myself questioning as of why this is important with the tale you plan to give us."

I blinked, glancing at my own hands and… I nodded. "Two weeks before meeting Azazel… I faced Azrael." I started, my eyes closed for a moment before I continued. "I… I think he killed everyone and then resetted the world."

…

"_WHAT?!_" Serafall exclaimed loudly, eyes going wide open at the outlandish claim I just gave. "You m-mean that-"

"Everything and everyone was dead when I started to 'fight' Azrael. I tried to use everything I had around and… nothing worked of course." I interrupted, feeling some nervousness stirring up.

"That's a powerful statement that could draw many issues." Ajuka mused quietly, eyes directed at the two angels, both entities busy with something else.

"P-Place the special seal our brother taught you back when he was living in Heaven." Michael softly ordered at Gabriel, the blonde panicking a little with the box but starting to apply the seal.

"By the way, Michael, wasn't the 'Reset Totale' an ability known to a specific Angel? Someone that isn't certainly Azrael-" The Astaroth pressed on, getting a glare from the normally-calm Seraph.

"That ability was Helel's, but God himself said that it was stored away from any thieves and people greedy for power."

_...Isn't Helel-_

_**Lucifer. That means that… oh no.**_

'**What? What's wrong?**'

_**That Reset Totale, that full rewind… didn't work on us. Or at least, it didn't truly erase our memories of the 'old timeline'.**_

_We were… mostly immune to it?_

"Yet nutty angel over there just has it. Something like that should cause some issues if not tackled soon enough." Azazel commented, his eyes fixed on the box now sporting the new seal placed by Gabriel herself.

"If this news had reached me in a different circumstance? Possibly." The Regent of Heaven admitted quietly. "But Helel himself left for us a special seal to contain the grave power of such a terrible ability."

Sirzechs sighed. "Alas, from what I understand the seal should make sure that Azrael doesn't wander any longer without proper surveillance."

There was a nod from both Seraphs.

"We will have him freed only if we are sure that this new power is not used to cause any other… issues."

"Good then!" Azazel muttered in some awkward attempt to turn the attention elsewhere. "I'm famished! Brat, I hope you are top chef or-"

What?

"Indeed, it's kind of you to have all of us to your home for dinner, Hoitsu-kun. I decided to send Grayfia and Millicas in advance and I hope we aren't dragging this for too long." Sirzechs agreed, sporting an amused but 'cruel' smile.

"Sona-chan is there too!" Serafall butted in.

"I will be enjoying just some salad." Ajuka commented placidly.

"Some steak will do fine for me!" Falbium concluded.

The final verdict? I was screwed in multiple ways.

_**I mean, it isn't that bad. We need to somehow expand the table, deal with some awkward discussions with people and-**_

"By the way, Baraqiel wanted to join too and… do you know why he was tied up for a full day? I found him in his bedroom and-"

_For fuck's sake, don't jinx me anymore…_

The prospect for that evening just worsened to an infuriating degree.

At this point, exile sounded like the best option…

* * *

**AN**

**I finally discovered what was the Audio Issue that didn't allow me to make use of the new headset! It would seem that (After deleting and re-installing the Audio Drivers, try something with commands and then weep in despair to some forsaken deity) the issue was… I was connecting the Headset to the motherboard's openings… which wasn't the one with the audio drivers on. **

**Thus I wasted two full days in utter sorrow because I couldn't find (lack of illumination) the proper place where to set the jacks in.**

**Things are solved and… this chapter is mostly the fight. I know, it's kind of short but… 3k+ of fight (okay, 2,5k) wasn't an easy task for poor me.**

**I started later than usual and ended up dragging even after dinner.**

**Next chapter will have… wholesome fluff with Grayfia, hints at 'someone having a crush' and Sona sharing some words with Hoitsu.**

**Tomorrow it's going to resume the newly-adjusted schedule so… first the update for this story and then the newest chapter for The New Principal.**

**NEW MILESTONE:**

_**Future milestone 1: 845 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Victorsan12345****: Kuroka was 'spared' because I felt that it would feel… counter-productive to the scenes I've set for her. She has matured just a bit out of her Canon behavior, some stuff being left there like the teasing and her flirting when it is the right time, but she couldn't afford to slip up to that 'silly but self-destructive' act. She might enjoy pranking people, but to the point where everything she is trying to build from is erased by such act? She isn't exactly… dumb.**

**NazgulBelserion****: Nope, this new villain will have… an interesting pattern.**

**Kylnee****: Would be cool to have some fanarts. Sadly artists hardly do stuff without a paid commission behind.**


	51. We Dine in (not) Hell!

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 50****: We Dine in (not) Hell!**

* * *

The living room was bustling with loud voices, amused laughs and embarrassed groans coming from the active table.

I blinked as the leaders of the Underworld and Grigori bantered mirthfully while eating the various dishes prepared by the kitchen. Preparing so much food without notice proved to be the tiring feat that I was expecting.

Thankfully I had some help in the form of Akeno, Kunou, Kuroka, Koneko and… Grayfia.

The 'Gremory Maid' was slow at first, trying to grasp the proper placements of the various products and ingredients in the room, but she quickly managed to recover and bolster the efforts of food-making.

Serafall did pledge her help too but she was surprisingly stopped and denied by the rest of the Satans… and the small group from Grigori.

Azazel might showed a brief instance of disgust at the idea, while Baraqiel sported some swift dread on his face.

In the end, even with still very few individuals working in the kitchen, the dinner began right on time as everything was served in record-time. From normal human food to devil-versions of some usual dishes, the table was filled to the brim much to everyone's glee.

Falbium and Serafall didn't hesitate in digging in much to everyone's expectations, the others taking a more moderate but still quick pace as some discussions seemed ready to be made during the occasions.

Yet what truly caught my attention were two small details.

The first was that Millicas decided to pick a seat a little distant from his mother and… right by Kunou's side. The kitsune noticed the gesture, failing to register it further than a mere friendly interaction much to the young redhead's chagrin… but minor success.

The second detail was… literally under my nose. Ophis was munching quietly and cutely from her own plate, set beside mine. She had been quite attached to me, physically as either by hand-holding or tugging at my shirt while sitting on the couch.

I was aware that dragons were incredibly protective of what they considered theirs, but to see this behavior accomplished by the young girl was… adorable.

The discussions did happen, Azazel being the one to break the ice and introduce the 'embarrassing stories' time by starting with the one detailing Baraqiel's predicament that morning.

I shot him a murderous glare, only to be submerged by the dreadful stare coming from the fellow Fallen Angel. Akeno's violet eyes were quick to turn slits at her own parent as something close to an eye-only Mexican Standoff endured just a few moments.

It was the Governor-General that intervened to defuse the situation, one of his arms wrapping around his friend's neck as he ruffled his hair. "C'mon, you old fool. I bet nothing weird happened about… whatever those two were doing in their free time."

I didn't show any reaction and the Himejima followed the same example. Normally that would have caused some hesitation to filter out in our expressions but we weren't certainly keen to begin some World War 3 out of a simple date… that ended with kisses and-

_Wait, does that make us boyfriend and girlfriend?_

_**I think she will say 'one of the girlfriends'. Remember how she said how she formed an agreement with Akua and Kuroka? I bet there is something about… 'titles'.**_

Just as I thought that the topic would have shifted elsewhere, maybe one of the 'elders' getting targeted rather than any of the other teens, I was soon disheartened when Grayfia decided to spoke about… what had happened a few hours ago.

"Alas, I hope that you have recovered from that encounter… _with that individual_." Azrael's name wasn't meant to be mentioned in this situation, not with so many young people all around. It was already a forbidden topic in normal situations, but what just happened … lessened some of the rules for the occasion.

"I'm fine." I replied tiredly, stopping to sip at my glass. Water refreshed my throat, then I continued. "If I hadn't fought _that _before today, I would have had some major trouble… but I guess the first beating just helped me up memorize part of his pattern, enough to deal with what happened today."

"S-Speaking about what happened," Irina bowed her head, her face was pale as her eyes showed utter shame at how things evolved into. "I-I think I should apologize for w-what happened."

"I don't think you should, Irina." I replied with a sigh. "In fact I think that by facing that alone for some time, I was able to get it away from harming anyone in Kuoh Town."

She stared for some time, the brunette broke away from the long glance as Asia poked her shoulder and gave her an understanding smile. The devoted exorcist blinked but nodded at the gesture, smiling herself back to the blonde.

"Yet I hope you understand that I find your reply… lacking," Grayfia pressed on much to my surprise, her red eyes narrowed on me. "Your last technique was far stronger and energy-packed than the one you used just a few days ago against Rizevim."

Of course Sirzechs has to have told her that. I refrained myself from facepalming, finally getting a clear message of the strange expression lying on the silver-haired maid's face.

There was… worry, concern, fear and… anger. It was difficult for me to discern if the last emotion was aimed at herself or at me.

"I'm sorry, Grayfia-neechan." I breathed softly, causing the woman to sigh and look away.

"You have been doing this dangerous play more than once already. I think apologies hardly matter when you keep-"

"I didn't have much choices in both cases. Either I went full-power on them or someone would have gotten hurt." I admitted, sighing tiredly. "I'm sorry about it, but I can't certainly ignore what would have happened if I didn't go that far."

There was an odd round of silence, my eyes directed to the table as I was sure that the woman was going to headbutt a little more about the matter.

...yet the response I got was far from what I expected.

"J-Just avoid getting yourself hurt like that so frequently, foolish Otouto." She huffed tiredly before chiding her husband from snickering at the interaction.

There was a red hue visible in her face, something unique but also meaningful that…

She did care and… that was always nice to remember.

I was about to forcefully take the discussion elsewhere but Serafall managed to beat me to that by slamming her fist on the table and… pointing right at me.

"Y-you are Grayfia's young brother now?" She exclaimed surprised at first, then she looked intrigued.

Her blue eyes darted from me to the maid, the former Lucifuge merely closing her eyes while sipping from her water.

Was this going to be like it happened with Sirzechs? A 'competition' of sort?

"Sona-tan, we need to show them who is the best sib- oh?" The Leviathan paused, eyes fixed on her young sister as she fully stopped, confusion painted on her face.

The president of the Student Council was sitting idle, her stare deeply intense as she continued to direct it at her own plate, ignoring the sudden wave of attention she was receiving.

The dutiful girl had been like this since the beginning of the dinner, avoiding to make first-contacts and… yet I could see that she wanted to say something about what happened in the last few weeks.

She blinked, glancing at her sister with a blank expression and… didn't do anything else after that. It felt like she was waiting for something else to happen, as if… she was trying to get me to do the first step towards an approach to diplomacy?

Before I could do anything about it, I was once more interrupted by Serafall, the Satan gasping in a comical way. I knew that it was the prelude to some annoying 'Magical Girl'-like attitude, but I hardly felt that this was going to get the results the woman wanted.

"So-tan! You are annoyed by something, aren't you?" She struck a determined pose, eyes narrowed once more at me as her Maou Shoujo Levia-tan costume materialized over her clothes, finger pointing accusingly once more right at me. "It was that silly boy, wasn't it? Worry not, Levia-tan shall defeat this young man by using her Magical Girl's power."

I blinked and frowned at her, trying to ignore the fact that Ophis was tensing at hearing about a possible attack against me.

"Sona-san, could we share some words… in private." The only woman in the Four Satans froze at the request directed at her sister, the current Sitri heiress looking surprised as well but managing to nod and reply.

"I will be more than happy to oblige at your request, Hoitsu-san." She replied with a thankful tone, relief washing over her as she stood up from her seat.

The formality wasn't… as cold as many could perceive it in a normal instance. We were both treating each other as equals, a step forward compared to the 'boss-worker' relationship we shared back before I left the Academy.

It was a minimal detail, but one that mattered a lot for someone that religiously respected order above all.

Ophis blinked in surprise as I pulled her in a hug, bringing her up so I could stand up and then placed her right where I was previously sitting. She looked up, confused and annoyed at the sudden action but I smiled apologetically right at her while patting her head. "Sorry, I promise that after this discussion with Sona-san I will be back."

The goth girl, stood silent for a moment and then… "No."

I sighed, expecting this reaction from her and so I decided to go 'heavy'. "Not even if I leave Shironai here to keep you company?"

Her eyes lightened at the mentioning of the well-dressed individual and the Infinity Dragon ended up conceding a slow but clear nod at the proposal.

_**Sigh. I don't mind being around with 'Phis-chan, but I think you shouldn't be using me 'just for that'. **_

_I will make up for you. _

_**There is hardly something that could interest me to-**_

_What about tomorrow you are granted a full day to spend with Ophis?_

_**Deal.**_

The happy darkness materialized and Ophis eagerly jumped in his waiting arms, head snuggling on his chest as he took my seat and started to care for the goth girl.

As I started to walk with Sona on tow towards the kitchen ready for some heavy and serious words about what happened in the recent weeks, we found ourselves followed to the empty room by… Serafall herself.

"O-Oneesan, it's a private-"

"Nonsense, Sona-chan!" The woman rebuffed her younger sibling's protest at this unexpected join-up. "I have a duty as your smart and strong Oneesama to be there and make sure that this young man doesn't do anything weird to you-"

Rather an uncalled accusation since I've been fairly respectful and polite with… everyone during this event. Even before I never shown anything that could allude to anything bad about me so…

Where did Serafall get any idea about me trying something like that?

"-Especially since you are so much taken by him. I mean, you did mention him quite a lot in the last letters and-" The incriminating words would have easily passed as proof of Sona crushing on me, but since even the headstrong woman was hardly reacting to this fact, I knew that it was all about teasing her sibling.

"N-Not in that way!" The glasses-wearing girl stuttered irritated, cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

The girl then turned to look at me. "I-I was referring at the fact that I...-" Sona stopped, her words failing to fully leave her lips and I frowned.

"Sona-san, I know that I shouldn't just assume about this but… can I guess that you missed me?" I interjected softly, giving a supportive smile to the girl.

Her whole face was now engulfed by the blush, her eyes widening in surprise before she suddenly realized how I knew about this.

"It was Himejima-san, wasn't it?" She asked and sighed tiredly as I nodded at her question. "Should have thought of it before doing this much… I suppose you also know how things turned out back at Kuoh Academy with your absence."

"Paperwork overwhelmed, I guess that I will have to focus much to have it reduced drastically when I'm back-"

"It shouldn't have this much from the very beginning!" The young Sitri whispered furiously, huffing in annoyance at the frown I gave her as a reaction. "Why didn't you even mention that it was that much difficult?"

I shrugged. "Didn't feel it was 'that much'. Seriously, it was nothing-"

"I had to personally intervene to cut 70% of the useless expenses. Just the corsets for the girls' uniform were costing us more than the food served at the cafeteria did in a yearly basis."

I flinched, remembering seeing that specific number with my own eyes but _there was a reason I never questioned this specific info._

"I admit that there were some instances like that… but I then learned who put them in the budget and just decided to roll with it." I tried to explain, trying to avoid pulling the culprits about the matter too quickly.

Pink eyes narrowed on my frame at the mysterious words, I swear one of her eyebrows twitched angrily at my answer.

"Who? Who is the _utter idiot _that decided that short skirts and corsets were a good idea in a school?" Sona asked, my eyes widening in surprise at how much incensed she sounded like.

_Serafall started to sweat profusely, the situation taking __**rather**__ the troublesome turn._

Sadly, her reaction was caught by the very person that wasn't meant to know about her implication over this topic.

"Neesan-" The young Sitri tried to begin, but was quickly interrupted by her older sibling.

"I-It was Sirzechs' plan! H-He said that those adjustments would have brought out the cutest appearance a-and he was… correct." The Leviathan deflated at the last word.

"You mean to tell me t-that you just pushed this excessive addition… because of Rias and me?"

There was an odd tone in that query, something both Serafall and I picked right as it sunk in our brains.

… "Will you be angry if I said ye-"

"OF COURSE I'M ANGRY." The girl replied loudly, furious and annoyed at the same time.

The situation was already insane as it was because the changes were added for 'menial' reasons by the two semi-patented siscons, add to the compound the fact short skirts with a school with a 'perverts issue' didn't mix at all…

Well, I suppose Sona was scraping the barrel that was her sanity at this point, the Perverted 'Duo' having been one of the greatest annoyances since she started to work as president of the Student Council.

"S-So-tan, I didn't mean to annoy you- please, don't be angry at me-" The pleads fell deaf to the strict female, she wasn't finished yet after all.

"Four years. I've been trying to figure out why nothing could truly deplete the perverted population from the Academy and..." She sighed, a stern look plastered on the girl's face. "Neesan, you did something terribly wrong and… I'm angry at you."

The effect of her seemingly harmless words were instantaneous as THE Serafall Leviathan, one of the most cheerful beings in the Underworld, started to twitch while tears flooded through her eyes.

It was more of a comical display, like the ones before… except the twitching, the tears were all real. It wasn't a fake display of true sadness, but something that was mixed with some 'funny' elements that made the character the former heiress to the Sitri Clan… alive.

I blinked, knowing that any further escalation wouldn't see me unscathed, especially with how… unstable girls could get while in that much distress. _Especially when said girl has the power to vaporize the entire block without issues._

"Sona-san… I know that I shouldn't meddle in this situation-"

"Indeed, you shouldn't." The girl interrupted without hesitation. "While I understand that you wish to avoid any family troubles within your house, I've to ask that you keep out from this subject-"

"Then I should be condemning you too, Sona-san?" I interjected loudly, eyes narrowing at once at her much to her sudden shock.

"W-What?"

"While Serafall-san and Sirzechs-san did start the problem, it is also true that the budget is to be checked upon and revised in case of abnormalities by the Student Council… yet there wasn't much attention put over the matter." I pointed out sharply, pink eyes darting away from confrontation as… I knew what was going on with Sona's furor.

Why she was being this much aggressive with her older sister, why she was trying to shift all the blame at the instigators of such trend…

She was silent, unwilling to provide evidence of this strong theory of mine, thus I pressed on for an opening.

"You didn't give the budget a proper look, didn't you? I know that the budget remained mostly unchanged for the last few years, including the one which you started your role as president of the Council, the only exceptions being the small sections to accommodate clubs' expansions and special events." I accused quietly, Sona getting more and more fidgety as I turned the table on her.

"Sona." I stated in a teasing tone, the girl blinking at the informal manner I was addressing her. "Are you trying to push all the blame onto your sister?"

Her face was completely red as I took a step towards her, her eyes widening as my hands moved near her face and-

"Gwuh! No, sthwop!"

The girl yelped in surprise as I started to pinch moderately both her cheeks, surprise was replaced by 'agony' as the Sitri wasn't experienced in this kind of 'torture'.

"Apologize right now for pushing an unjust part of the blame on your Neechan." I pulled a little more. "Now."

She squeaked and gave a defiant look, trying to appear unfazed by this childish display but… soon her squeaks intensified and she 'cracked'.

"F-Fwine! S-Swowwy N-Neechwan!"

I stopped just in time to hear a quick 'clicking' noise coming from Serafall, the Satan was holding a small camera in her hands and froze as she was caught in the act of taking some blackmail material.

I sighed. "I'm trying to get you partly-saved and this is how you repay it? By worsening things for yourself." My words seemed to annoy the Leviathan, her blue eyes showing annoyance at being called out in that way.

The woman huffed. "One can never get enough photos of their younger siblings, especially cute ones like Sona-chan!"

"Then you will be happy to capture the moment Sona realizes that she has the right to punish you about the 'clothes' debacle." I turned to look at the aforementioned girl, her eyes widening as _a devious smile formed on her face at realizing what I was talking about._

_**Serafall Leviathan started to sweat profusely once more, this time the words leaving her adorable So-tan being far worse than expected.**_

"Then I suppose… I shall pick an appropriate punishment for Neesan." She hummed quietly, then moments later she nodded to herself. "And… I think the proper one should be…"

"**Neesan shan't wear a Magical Girl costume for two months!**"

A **Thud** followed, the Leviathan knocked out by the sheer fear and dread those words coming from her most precious person brought to her.

I blinked, thinking if it was worth trying to meddle once more but…

The price sounded about right for a situation happening for years now, thus I didn't intervene any longer.

"You know that I will return the favor about the..."

"Cheek-pinching?" I guessed much to her annoyance, the pout worth the situation.

"I will see that you deal with someone that requires special attention… like Aika Kiryuu-" She suggested.

"I am not dealing with-" I tried to protest, but I was interrupted by the heiress of the Sitri Clan.

"Too late." The girl giggled, a rare sound that she seemed to notice that she had let out moments later as her face reddened once more.

Picking up the unconscious Serafall, Sona and I proceeded to return back to the living room as we braced for what was going to happen at seeing the girl's sister in that state after just some 'talking'.

_**Let's just say that the escalation persisted for a while, driven by the questions regarding the snoring woman being dragged to a couch, yet the dinner ended up… pretty normal by the standards of the small group of strange people that were visiting today.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Ended up dragging this chapter for long. Mom needed help with groceries and I had to interrupt for a good hour or two (the Super-Market is fairly distant from home) but I managed to write something… decent. (Hopefully?!)**

**Some fluff, some long-deserved interactions and I've yet to address Millicas and Kunou with their situation. The scene with Grayfia was also the appetizer for what I've planned for the next few chapters.**

**Someone is coming back!**

**P.S. I've promised that I would have updated New Principal, I failed to do so and… tomorrow I will write the update before the next chapter of this story. I need to shift back to my previous pacing and… get some stories done, dangit!**

**Lastly, quick question: do you prefer that I stick to 3,5-3,7k+ chapters with some revisions or that I go for the 4/5k+ chapters?**

_**Future milestone 1: 845 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Illusion of Time****: ...Who said that was Azrael's limit? Thanks for the kind words and I think the reason why some stuff feel weird in some chapters is… because those aren't self-explanatory or 'It is all a big arc, thus some answers fit in the following chapters rather than in the chapter itself'. I've planned for a 'Dual' Ending for this story (It's going to be a strange surprise -nothing terrible, as one of the endings will happen… very soon.) but I've planned a sequel and some sidestories after I've this completed.**

**Evyplayz121****: Azrael is Original! So no material-reading is required. Also thank you!**

**CodeZerone****: In Canon yes, but in this story things are much more complicated than that.**


	52. Guests and Youthful Determination

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 51****: Guests and Youthful Determination**

* * *

It was early in the morning and I was already facing some issues in what was supposed to be my unquestionable reign.

The kitchen was and still is my absolute domain and while I did expect to end up having problems with Grayfia regarding house chores, I didn't certainly expect walking up to find the silver-haired maid already on the loose in that specific room.

It all started when Sirzechs asked if it was possible for me to house him and his family for the night, mentioning that he had something to do in Kuoh Town for the day after and that he wished to be somewhere were other issues would sprung on his face.

He wanted to spend time with his family without the usual hounding from other people, either fans or followers of some kind.

Of course, since I could say no to Millicas nor decline the presence of my surrogate older sister, I accepted the offer and gave them some of the remaining guest rooms in the house.

Yet I had something to deal right now and that was… the very surrogate older sister I had been so kind to house for the night.

The woman barely registered my presence and she certainly missed the minor scowl plastered on my face. I was pretty sure that after a while, she should have caught up with the fact I was there giving her a tiny but noticeable glare.

Four full minutes passed before she suddenly stopped to greet me with a nod before going back to her work.

"Good morning." She said calmly, flashing a brief smile before resuming with 'her duties'.

_**She seems pretty confident about what she is trying to do right now.**_

_I think that is the basis of being the head-maid for the Gremory Clan for… centuries now. But I think she is missing something important about 'our' share of the breakfast._

Indeed, Grayfia was unaware that breakfast in **my** house was simpler than anything she had ever done. Without missing a beat and pulling up a blank mask up, I started to interact with the kitchen myself, picking cups for me and the others while also preparing some coffee to add at the resulting beverages.

It was right as I started to heat up the milk by the stove that I felt red eyes staring intensively right at me. My ears caught her slow approach towards me and then I felt her looming over me.

"There is no need, I was going to prepare something for the rest-"

"I actually will do that, Oneechan." I interjected with the same calm tone she adopted, gaining a frown from the maid.

"Otouto, I find myself insisting that-"

"A shame that is my kitchen, Oneechan." I sighed, placing a spoon of honey for each mug. "Maybe next time."

Initially she didn't budge, showing no reaction to my placid comment. Then she sported a deep frown, realizing what I was referring too.

The woman nodded curtly but before she returned to her side of the room, Grayfia decided to proclaim something… irritating. "Then may the best of us win."

_**...I don't think we agreed to-**_

_I shall show her how to do a proper breakfast!_

_**I spoke too soon, why are we doing this?**_

_This is my kitchen, this is my home. If I'm bested in something like this… how I'm supposed to look at Kunou if I reveal myself that weak!?_

_**How you usually do: pointing your eyes at her.**_

I ignored the sassy remark, my attention fully focused on the arduous task of picking more mugs and putting on the fire more milk. If war the former Lucifuge wanted, then war she would get!

Tension was palpable as we both picked up a higher pace than usual, our minds devoted to the perfect completion of our respective works. Minutes passed and we were going out of the kitchen while bringing the two different menus to the table.

People were confused and were giving confused looks both at me and at the maid.

"We decided to host a competition to see which breakfast is the best. Please choose fairly and with impartiality." Grayfia explained, bowing respectfully at those at the table.

"You will be given a share of the two menus each, testing individually the product and giving points from 0 to 5 about the quality of the dishes. The winner get a non-lewd favor from the loser."

I looked away just in time as I felt **death itself** staring my way. Yet the maid didn't protest vocally the winning prize and thus the competition began.

Of course some were 'compelled by the Greater Good' to grade top-marks the work depending to which contestant they were close to.

Sirzechs was 'glad' to grade excellently his wife's hard-work, while Kunou was eager to praise my side.

In the end, I stared in shock as Kuroka and Koneko voted for Grayfia's waffles with a layer of sweet chocolate over them, but the woman took a hit when little Millicas approved of the milkshake even asking for his mother if she could try to do it sometime too much to my 'enemy's chagrin.

Xenovia preferred the maid's baked good while Irina picked the beverage. It was kind of a pity that Issei and Asia had decided to go back to the boy's home to spend the night, something about Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou wishing to spend some time with the two teens.

Thus we ended up dealing with a draw scenario and the alternative picked to settle the score without any major issue was… a self-judge.

We were given the opposite challenger's breakfast and convinced to swear a magical oath to avoid some foul and senseless judgments. I blinked while staring at the texture of the baked good coated in melted chocolate.

My nose sniffed at the delightful fragrance before taking a small bite and… drowning in something perfectly sweet. The sweet taste wasn't overly-accentuated and the chocolate wasn't too much hot for my mouth to accept.

My eyes widened at the surprisingly well-calibrated breakfast and prepared to take just another bite when-

"C-Can I have a-another mug of this?" Grayfia's voice asked softly.

Everyone froze at the plea coming from the twitching maid, I frowned and turned to ask if she was alright when I was suddenly turned around, the silver-haired woman giving a closeup with wide red eyes staring right at mine. "How did you manage to create something this good?!"

"Uh?"

"The perfect combination of milk, honey and coffee. This… this is a simple but flawless work." She praised with absolute certainty.

I blinked. "R-Really? I mean, yours was well-prepared too. The chocolate, a good blend that was perfectly melted and- and I think the waffle was home-made?"

She nodded, a small smile plastered in her face. "I admit it was difficult because the dough wasn't the usual I used back to the Gremory mansion, but I managed to find some balanced way to heat it up and get it to leaven up."

"So… this is once more a draw?" I mused quietly and her smile lost some of its intensity. "How about we settle for a prize for both?"

The woman tensed a little, a confused glance directed at me as I… gestured for a hug. "What about a-"

I didn't even get the time to finish that proposition that I was pulled in embrace by Grayfia. She didn't spoke, merely patting my tense back to relax a little as I slowly returned the sudden hug.

I was surprised at the forwardness the maid was showing but I was glad that it didn't turn awkward. I rested my head on her shoulder and she sighed. "I'm still annoyed that you came close to dangerous harm twice in the last week." The woman muttered quietly.

"I swear I wasn't trying to face any trouble just for the sake of it." I rebuked half-whispered. "It's just… that I had to take some drastic steps to make sure people were alright."

"While ending up getting yourself endangered in the process." She huffed tiredly. "I can remember the pacing of the Great War and… there were good men and women that perished by trying to protect large numbers of civilians. I don't wish to add you to that list."

I flinched as she pulled away, sporting a small scowl. "You might expect others to not question your prideful heroism, but I will certainly bash your head_** really hard **_if you try anything like that once more." Her eyes narrowed. "Do you understand?"

Nodding quickly, I was let go as a pleased smile appeared on her face. "Good, then let's get the plates and have those cleaned." She ordered calmly, starting to focus on the empty dishes. "After all… this is _your house_, Otouto."

I snorted but I complied with the orders and started to round up the various plates on the table. As I was about to pick Sirzechs' the man decided to speak up. "Actually, Hoitsu-kun, I wished to ask if you could spare some time to speak about something in private after you finished with the chores."

Blinking in surprise, I managed just a nod. "I've time to spare, I hope it's nothing bad-"

He flinched a little much to my confused self and the reply wasn't something that helped me much...

"Not… entirely. Let's just say it's about family."

...but why do I feel like I was going to yell a lot very soon?

* * *

Millicas smiled a little as the young redhead finally got glimpse of the training ground his Oniisan and Kunou-chan used to spar.

In one of the corners, Koneko was training with her older sister, the dark-haired Nekoshou having decided to spend some effort to improve the combat style the younger girl had, an attempt to perfectly master the few flaws that remained.

Meanwhile the kitsune was merely testing her magical capacity much to the boy's glee. While he would never go around to tell about this, flashy attacks were his favorite.

To see the girl she felt 'something' about show him some cool moves just left him in the best of moods.

There was hardly anything that could break him out from that zenith of positiveness.

"Milli-kun, do you want to try it too?"

Or at least until the blonde decided to bring in to the fold. The youngest Gremory blinked in surprise at the request, secretly interested in trying such an activity but… inexperienced.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to do spells nor how to properly put them in practice. It was that he was far from the 'level' he wished to attain.

A strong and flexible peerage was still his main target, but curiosity of expand his own abilities was still something that lingered in his mind. To be as strong as his Papa and Mama, maybe even more so that he could protect them.

"C'mon! I will be there to help you if you need some." She pleaded and Millicas blinked, his heart picking up a little more at the… look in her face.

The words from his Mama, the ones reminding him to be a kind gentlemen around women steeled him to a decisive nod.

"I-I will try." He replied, the smile he was rewarded with the one of the most precious gifts he had ever received!

He stood up from his small spot and shyly made his way beside the girl, his face reddening at how close he was to her, but the boy's attention was taken by the floating target waiting for him to attack.

A blink, then two as he realized he was thinking too much about the situation and that he needed to show his abilities before the girl thought less of him. H-He needed to show how good he was!

So he fell in a focused state, his small palms channeling some energy as he took aim at the silly dummy between him and another smile from the cute kitsune. His drive, his ambition to prove his worth…

The blast blitzed, a red light rushing at the harmless target and then exploding upon contact with its chest. The explosion was partly expected by Millicas, just not as loud nor as big as it turned out to be.

The aftershock was enough to make his legs wobble a little before he started to lose his footing. He was falling backwards, he could already taste some humiliation at having tripped like that after performing a masterful spell.

His Magical Core was whining a little at the overuse of magic, but the boy remembered how his father did say that it was a good thing until he felt serious stress onto all over his body.

Yet it didn't spare him from the dreadful scenarios that would follow once he reached the ground. Would Kunou-chan giggle at his ill-luck? Would she still consider him 'cool'?

His mind was spinning- no, it wasn't his mind that was really turning that quickly.

The young Gremory had just enough time to realize that he was being lift up by the very girl he did impress and… he was pulled closer.

His face pressed on her shoulder, a blush spreading all over his head as he realized that he had been pull in a hug.

"That was super-good." The blonde praised happily. "I didn't expect you to be this strong, Milli-kun."

Sadly, 'Milli-kun' couldn't answer the flattering words from the girl 'he was taken by' as he found his mind constricted by the reality he had been luckily placed upon.

Having proven his worth without issues? That was a good victory.

Getting a hug while risking to fall to his own humiliation? Today, the boy learned about Absolute Victories in life and how good those felt.

His mind was sharp in keeping him from getting out from the hug, letting him bask from the contact while also enjoying the giggles coming from the very girl that was hugging him.

But there was something that needed some improvement and that was his technique. Training, he mused strongly within his head, he needed to put more effort in his already-limited training sessions.

Asking for more hours to spend training his magic from his Mama wasn't a possibility, knowing full well how the woman would react rather… negatively to such a strange switch of preferences.

He was still a studious 'young man' after all and he hardly needed to be scolded for trying to do something too childish for something very du-

At that point Kunou-chan started to nuzzle her cheek on top of his head and… his mind rebooted.

_**Training, he needed to train until he could beat her and… befriend her properly!**_

Getting her in his peerage? That idea felt offensive for good reasons, mostly because he knew that his Oniichan didn't want to be part of any and wouldn't appreciate if Kunou-chan was taken in one.

A companion? A partner? Why he felt like he was failing to grasp the proper terms here? He was sure that he knew well-enough about the dictionary but… he shrugged inwardly and decided to leave these thoughts for later.

The hug would suffice for now.

Just as he blissfully accepted the reward gifted to him, the moment was broken as loud voices reached the training grounds, briefly interrupting the embrace and stopping the brawl between the two Nekoshou sisters.

The voices were familiar, Millicas could recognize his Papa's and Oniichan's but he was confused as to how those reached so far in the house.

Weren't they discussing about something by the kitchen?

The mystery deepened as Hoitsu did walk in the massive room a few moments, his face sporting a troubled expression. A mix of annoyance and tiredness.

"Niichan!" Kunou-chan greeted loudly and happily. "Do you want to spar with me?"

The young man paused to glance their way, his look softening as he pulled a smile and nodded.

"Sure, Ku-chan." His tone was a cheerful one but… even Millicas knew that something was off. The edge was… sadder than it would look like to a stranger.

Blinking, the boy returned back to his previous spot and patiently waited for the two surrogate siblings to reach for their positions and…

Then they rushed to each other!

If only the young redhead knew how much flashy this was going to turn…

* * *

_**Sirzechs is a moron to think that we will even get close to 'her' of all people.**_

_It's been just a month. I'm certainly not going to 'visit' Rias._

_**Especially with how our visit would also sent some dangerous ripples through the Underworld… and beyond.**_

_We would be able to- Uh?_

I thought I was going to spent the rest of the spar in my thoughts, knowing that Kunou wasn't strong enough to land some damage through my defenses and… I was proved wrong when one of her punches bypassed my guard and almost hit me right on my face.

Blinking, I slowly noticed how faster and stronger the kitsune was compared to… just yesterday.

"K-Ku-chan?"

She grinned and continued with her aggressive offensive, forcing me to adopt a faster pace.

Blow was caught by blow, kick with kick and… soon a heated exchange of attacks ensued.

I was surprised, positively so, but my awe turned in confusion as the girl didn't certainly show any sign of backing down from the challenge, quite the opposite.

Her power and speed increased at once, matching if not going beyond my current limits in my base state. A kick finally slammed on my chest and I felt some energy behind it, eyes widening suddenly as I recognized it at the touch.

It was natural energy but… I couldn't sense it in a way that would allude to a Senjutsu form. No, the energy was all being captured within Kunou's body, replenishing her reserves and boosting them during the fight.

A new form? I was shocked at that possibility, immediately ditching the idea it was the work of one of Ophis' snakes as there was nothing of the Infinity Dragon's energy coming from the blonde.

The girl looked giddy, proud that she was pushing me to the ropes without problems. I decided to step up my game as my Senjutsu mode was quickly turned on and… I still was forced to deal with a stalemate.

The bubbly excitement coming from my giggling little sister deterred me from taking this seriously and thus I found that my issues were soon to start.

Ditching close fighting, Kunou started to throw Fox Fire my way. The intensity of the flames were stronger than usual, the heat causing me to sweat just by being a little close to them.

Silver Linings quickly formed to stall the girl from moving, wrapping around her arms as I rushed forward to resume a physical brawl. The kitsune grinned as she snapped the strings right as I was ready to deliver the first punch.

My eyes widened and I brought my guard up just in time to tank a kick dropping from Kunou. I was pushed back, surprise vanishing quickly as the brutal exchange of blows returned to dent on my arms and legs.

She wasn't holding anything back in that spar and I felt… excited to see this much power displayed by the blonde.

Huffing, the kitsune started to increase once more the pacing but I did notice that she was starting to get winded by the rapid action.

I needed to hold out a little longer, she was getting tired. Still, the girl was landing blows after blows through my defense and I was forced to take a few steps away to recover a little.

_**She is bringing the heat. Kunou has grown a lot in the last month.**_

_Determination and a strong will, she is going to become one of the strongest beings of this world for sure given more time._

"Niichan! I'm going to beat you!" The kitsune proclaimed loudly as I felt her power rising once more.

I unleashed the first level of the Kaioken, knowing that going for the **Twilight Joker **form would have been too much of an overkill for her.

The boost gave me some relieve, the blonde dropping more Fox Fire but I was dodging every single attack dropped my way.

She was sweating, it wasn't the heat of her own spells as her breathing was getting ragged and I could recognize the signs of fatigue.

She blinked, surprise plastered in her face as I returned to the assault and actually started to turn the tide. Panic surged, her arms covering in flames and forcing me to back away once more as she pouted right at me.

"T-This is my final move. It will- It will work." Her announcement was following by a… _familiar posture_.

Her hands were brought back, forming two opposite arcs as she started to chant.

"Kaaa...meee..."

I froze, my eyes widening in surprise as Kunou was… emulating me _emulating someone else._

A blue orb was forming slowly and softly as I stared in shock as this all unfolded.

_**She is not going to complete it.**_

_W-What?_

_**Look at her legs. She is wobbling and ready to go for some nap-time. Stop her, for fuck's sake!**_

I didn't need to be told twice as I blitzed quickly to interrupt the chanting. The girl was surprised by my swift interception, but didn't pose any opposition at being scooped up in a hug.

"Enough. This is your limit." I replied curtly, one of my hands picking absently a bottle of Phoenix's Tears and offering it to the blonde.

The kitsune blinked at the vial but accepted it nonetheless, drinking it quickly but still… resting on her head on my chest. "I… I think I still need some rest." She said with a yawn.

"That form has to be rather draining if you got that strong in little time." I admitted, patting her head softly.

"I-It was something Mama once told me." She explained with a drowsy tone. "I-It was just an idea, one that Kuroka-san was kind enough to give some… advice about."

I nodded, glancing at a sheepish-looking Nekoshou and I sighed. "Do you want to be taken to bed?"

She hummed positively, finally starting to snore much to my relief and own tiredness.

_Hitting the bed now doesn't sound that bad._

_**But we have guests and… we have to deal about that 'Rias' issue.**_

I groaned inwardly as I slowly turned around and started to walk the path back to my room.

Let's get this adorable furball tucked in first…

**...Then I will have to deal with this nightmare of a topic.**

* * *

**AN**

**It's done! This chapter was… draining. But I did it! **

**Thankfully I will go to sleep early today as… tomorrow is going to be tiring.**

**The main schedule is back… partially. Some stories will be updated, while others will not.**

**A new version of the schedule will be uploaded very soon.**

**But now!? LESLEEP!**

_**Future milestone 1: 845 Followers and Favorites.**_

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**Scrumblenut****: This 'version' I proposed of Azrael is Original. I know others made use of the character, but then again even DXD Lucifer is original compared to Sin: Nanatsu no Taizai (which isn't the one with Meliodas but the one with the Seven Deadly Sins being women with super-Oppais).**

**Mike699****: I will try to get the chapters checked once I'm done with this, having some corrections done and… thank you for the kind words!**


	53. An Interview with a Red Devil

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 52****: An Interview with a Red Devil**

* * *

This wasn't going to work.

The moment I stepped out the magical circle created by Sirzechs and got a full sight over the newly-rebuilt Gremory mansion, I knew that this situation was going to be result in some major annoyances.

The discussion yesterday burn through the whole day, leaving me in a sour state. The leader of the Satans did stress a lot how this wasn't an attempt to get Rias out of the rightful punishment, his duties and the strong support from the Bael Clan for the house arrest to unfold fully were good deterrents from even trying.

It was something similar to an intervention, something driven by the behavior the heiress of the Gremory Clan gained after she was confined to her home after the Diodora's case by order of the Bael Clan.

It wasn't something that much serious. She was still taking care of herself and she wasn't showing any rude or dangerous behavior with the other occupants of the mansion.

The very issue was presented by… how she decided to spend the days without school and peerage.

For a good twenty hours of her normal day, Rias Gremory keep quiet in her own room all alone. The remaining four hours were divided between eating together with the family and making use of the bathroom when she needed it.

Her fashion 'suffered' a change too, the girl ditching the Kuoh Academy's uniform a week after the beginning of her punishment. Instead of the recognizable clothes, she opted for something… efficient and that offered some comfort.

A gray-white themed tracksuit. It might appear like a… not-so-terrible situation, but then I realized something by Sirzechs' vague responses as to how she managed to spend so much time inside her room.

Rias had a computer. A fully-operational, custom-made Gaming PC that was gifted to her by her brother for her fifteen's birthday.

It was a detail that, while the man was eager to quick and try to get it forgotten by adding other stuff like childhood tales and all, gave me an idea as to how I was supposed to deal with the girl.

I had to look away several times as the elder brother of the heiress went ahead to describe how her 'transformation' unfolded as I found the narration terribly… familiar.

While I had long learned to be very active with my life, adding meaningful projects that pushed me beyond my limits and gave me the chance to grow more and more, there was a time in my old life where I was stuck to a strange situation.

I was doing fine, economically and health-wise, as there was plenty of work while staying at home.

The days were filled by a lazy pace that involved the correction and the production of detailed essays that would then be sent to scientific academies to expand and improve the available libraries.

It was all about History, nothing that would truly have major importance in normal discussions but still had some grip over intellectuals all around.

The cheap apartment was nice, not too big nor it was too small for my personal needs.

It was a… pleasant life.

I couldn't find within myself to consider it the best possible, knowing full-well that I was stuck to that point.

I wasn't given chances of improving my life conditions, the lack of substantially-paid jobs making it difficult if not impossible trying to advance to a higher lifestyle.

Then I was self-inserted… somehow. There wasn't much that I could do to find the culprit of my presence in this world but… I felt like the solution was getting closer.

It was just a feeling, nothing concrete for me to say it was for sure that I had made some progress over the matter, but the more I explored the nature of the connection I had over this world (because somehow I had one I was completely unaware of), the more I got closer to a name.

Shifting my attention back to Rias, I was sure that a similar situation was happening to her. Instead of fiercely opposing the fate forced upon her, the redhead knew that the predicament she had to deal wasn't the same level of dealing with an arranged marriage.

Thus the girl decided to adapt about this new development, change for the sake of 'capitalizing' over the precarious fate in front of her.

One would praise the idea of dealing with the issue this way, but sadly there was a small mistake over the 'path' she was taking.

Said mistake was presented by the main emotion that drove this whole reaction. She was afraid, she was panicking and… she needed to avoid the 'unpleasant' wall that she had to face from now on.

And so the mansion became another wall, an artificial safe barrier to keep the harsh truth away from her eyes. One would call it delusional, but that was actually a good half-assed attempt.

Not only she 'ignored' the problem as said problem was impossible to face, but she was also coping in a moderate way with the new restrictions imposed to her life.

It was good for now as she seemed to have preserved most of her original behavior, only getting a little 'sheltered' over the subject and the possibility of walking around the mansion.

I know that refusing to help wouldn't have warranted any bad implications, Sirzechs showing some objective point of view in saying that I was entitled of 'walking away' from the matter as it wasn't something inherently caused by me.

…

Then Grayfia decided to share a few words with me in private. I was already tired from dealing with her husband, but the maid took a completely different approach from him as the main issues brought to the matter hit way closer home.

Her part of the discussion wasn't centered around Rias, possibly because everything that was meant to be said was already given by the Leader of the Satans. Her words dig deep by bringing in the state the girl's parents and even Sirzechs were.

Zeoticus and Venelana were good at hiding that the attitude their daughter had adopted did leave them very helpless in providing her some support, but the silver-haired maid did spot that while also dealing with the foul mood her husband had recently developed with this case.

As much as the 'siscon' bit regarding the redhead was regarded more as a comical bit for the Canon, it would be wrong to say that the man wasn't suffering from bringing the hammer down on his sister.

He was subsequently drained emotionally, very detached from some of the amusing bits that had lastly happened, something I did notice during the dinner but not enough to question it when I did.

And if the strong emotional barrage coming from the woman wasn't enough, I was left defenseless in dealing with the last few words.

"I know that this is an affair within the Gremory Clan and you, as an outsider, shouldn't be forced to intervene about, but when I was taken in by Lord and Lady Gremory, I was treated as part of the family without hesitation." Grayfia commented softly.

"I was a stranger, a former enemy, and yet I was treated with the utmost respect and warmth. And… while you have to reason to oblige this request, I will ask for your help not as the head-maid of the Gremory Clan, but as Rias' and your big sister." Her lips twitched sadly and then she bowed, her eyes closed.

"Please… do help my husband and the Gremory Clan."

There wasn't much to refuse at that point, the woman accepting the quick embrace I offered much to her relief. But the planned 'quick hug' turned in several more minutes, silence ruling for that period of time before I gave a full response.

"I… I will do it."

With most of the younger people by my house already going to classes, I was glad that Kuroka accepted 'babysitting' the ones that were stuck at home.

Kunou was slightly annoyed at being asked to not come with me, but showed a brave face in saying that she wouldn't mind it too much.

After that I was promptly taken at the Gremory Mansion, servants already there and waiting for the couple with child to arrive by the entrance, giving some surprised look at my unexpected presence before bowing once more and addressing me as 'Lord Hoitsu'.

At this point, knowing that it was a mere formality of the job, I decided to not fight off this new situation and was then escorted once more inside the mansion.

Differently from the previous times, the path taken wasn't the one that led to the living room. We went upstairs, taking some turns over the hallways before settling in front of a curious door.

A medium-sized wood-made tag with light-red letters was titled 'Rias', proving that the room was the heiress'.

I took just a few steps forward and stopped to knock. The three simple knocks didn't get a reaction from within the room and, after just a moment, I decided to try and listen for any sound that could prove that there was someone in there.

Nothing human, just the annoying fizzling of… _a computer's fan_.

I sighed, glancing back at the couple and nodding. "I'm going in then..."

I didn't linger my sight over them enough to gauge their reactions, opening the door and entering inside, ending up to close it behind me.

Darkness took my sight away as the room was cast to the shadows, the light was dim and it was mostly coming from the noisy machine a… certain redhead was using. Blue-eyes staring fixed at the screen as… Rias continued to move troops all over the map.

Frowning, I got closer and… froze in surprise at what I quickly recognized as… Total War Shogun 2?

* * *

Rias Gremory was taken by the good mood that followed the umpteenth victory against the troops deployed by the Ashigaka Shogun.

Starting as the Oda clan proved to be an entertaining but proving experience as the crucial placement of the faction was something that left her free to pick numerous paths.

Expanding a little in the north, just enough to have a powerful economic base, her descent upon Kyoto was intense. Becoming the greatest 'threat' in Japan, all factions banded together against the Oda and tried to besiege it.

Fools! Her armies were there to conquer Heaven its- ouch!

Even thinking of that cursed place was enough to give her a minor headache, but now victory was just a turn away from her, the glorious Devil Queen of the Crimson Hell!

But just as she sighed and pulled away from the monitor, waiting for the loading screen of the next turn to finish, the redhead froze as she felt someone watching her.

She tensed mid-stretch, blue eyes widening but not diverting from the screen as her sense was enchanted magically. Her mind grew panicky as she did end up perceiving something in the room with her, someone familiar but also not.

The girl was sure that she had seen something like this but… where and when exactly she saw this before was eluding her.

A blink, she needed to elaborate a proper plan to deal with the intruder. What if it was a dangerous monster or a lecherous fiend? Both scenarios terrible indeed after a month spent in her own blissful peace.

She was rusty in terms of magical prowess, but… her Power of Destruction should be more than enough.

Slowly, Rias relaxed as a smile fell on her face. Yes, she was going to roast this threat without hesitation and… and then resume her fictional war campaign to conquer feudal Japan.

Mind set on such a devious plan, she spun her chair and prepared to blast to kingdom come the poor fool invading her domain and- _she froze at the calm expression placed on one Hoitsu Sakakibara's face._

"Booh!"

A brief shriek left her lips, the following jump making her chair turn as she fell on the floor butt first and… stared in shock at the presence of the young man in front of her.

The human blinked, a little smile as he sat relaxed in one of the few chairs present in the room, his face illuminated by the soft light coming from the monitor of her computer.

"W-What are you doing here!?" The Gremory demanded, her voice failing to bring the anger needed to make it a serious reaction as she wanted, ending up giving an irritated squeak.

"I was invited here." He replied curtly, his eyes darting to the screen. "You are close to win the campaign. What difficulty are you playing?"

"I-I- Why should I tell you?" She huffed in annoyance. "You should be entering rooms without their owners' permission."

"Didn't stop you from making trips to Issei's room, I do reckon." He poked back with a sharp topic, causing the girl to flinch momentarily before her fury resumed.

"Y-You shouldn't do that to girls-"

"Look, we can go through some ideological crap about men and women, but in the end I'm not here to deal with any wit-measuring diatribe." He sighed tiredly after interrupting the redhead. "How is the Internet treating you?"

"A powerful but unforgiving tool." She mused quietly and quickly at the question. "I didn't know I could do so much with it- A-Also what are you doing here?"

What could the bane of her existence be doing here? Why now and… why there of all places?

Her heaven, tainted by the presence of that boy. How unfair could life get after so much had already happened to her?

"As I said, I'm visiting for… good reasons." He replied placidly, resting his head on the chair.

"Rias, this is an intervention."

…

"Nope." The redhead replied under her breath, her attention moving to her chair as she got it up and proceeded to bring it back close to her gaming setup. "I'm not doing this-"

"People are getting worried-"

"Don't care." She interjected quietly, setting her gaze back to the monitor. "I'm busy with… important stuff."

"Roleplaying yourself as the grand Fool of Owari, I bet." He sighed and turned to the monitor once more. "But seriously, this isn't healthy-"

"I'm showering just as I usually do, I don't get too cold and I am there for breakfast, lunch and dinner." She replied swiftly. "I think there is nothing wrong in deciding to spend some time alone to think about… everything that happened."

Hoitsu blinked much to her chagrin. "You've been thinking about it? May I ask then what conclusion did you come up with?"

Rias blinked. Should she seriously tell him? Until now he had shown a civil attitude and… maybe it would be bad to speak about this to someone else.

_She really missed Akeno…_

"I know that… you aren't the one to blame." The girl began quietly. "At least not to a major degree, I still think you could have put some words and-"

"Technically, I would have settled up with you apologizing to both Issei, Asia and me, sign a Magical contract to never try to meddle with Asia or me, and maybe if you got a hundred power-spanks from your mother."

She tensed, paling a little. "Y-You are crazy! I couldn't face more than twenty power-spanks from mom and..."

Rias blinked. "Actually, that would have been… lighter than what I'm dealing with." The girl admitted, then she shook her head and sighed. "Still, the decision was passed by the Bael clan with the agreement of a majority of the other Pillars."

"People wanted a scapegoat and you were an easy target." The boy pressed on with her explanation. "It could be considered leniency that you were given house arrest rather than prison time."

She flinched. "It's still impressive that… the Underworld is so barbaric regarding punishment."

"Laws hardly changed since the Old Satans' rule. While reform happened in some sections of Hell, Zekram wouldn't allow the power within his clan to be divided to others." He continued to say much to the redhead's agreement.

"A pity that there isn't much to do about it." The girl confessed with genuine honesty. "Removing the restrictions limiting us from expanding the families with new blood… it would boost the Underworld's manpower."

"Like it happened with Grigori." Her blue eyes returned back to him. "Azazel wasn't just being kind with those shunned by Hell and the big H above, the troops deployed by Grigori are a little more than the combined forces of Angels and Devils."

She shuddered a little. "T-That much?"

"It isn't a close secret." The boy replied. "Grigori was that much big during the Great War, that is why it received the worst from the other two factions. The two smaller fishes wanted to deal with the biggest one first."

"And they lost-"

"Like everyone else." I interrupted the little smug remark. "How much do you know about what is happening outside the mansion?"

Rias blinked at the sudden question, frowning suspiciously. "Very little. Why? Did something important happen back in Kuoh?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. Did you know that Big G is dead?"

…

"B-Beg your pardon but… with Big G you meant… the leader of Heaven?" She had to have heard wrong. There was no chance that the Maker died… how did He even die?

"Yep. He's been dead since the end of the Great War. Dunno how did he exactly die but-"

"How do you even know that?!" The redhead's confusion was rising with the calm tone in Hoitsu's voice. "W-Why aren't you even shocked by the news?"

"I think everyone knew, deep down, that He was dead." He replied sarcastically, gaining a serious glare from the Gremory. "O-Okay, I was told beforehand the big revelation. Yes, some moron decided to spoiler this detail to the world and… things are getting crazy."

She shouldn't be asking, she shouldn't be digging further in that insane rabbit hole but…

_Her curiosity! She was starving for someone to talk to!_

"W-What kind of crazy things?" The girl asked meekly.

He hummed quietly and then… nodded. "Tokyo was attacked. A mixed group of monsters, loyalists of the Old Satans' heirs and the madman known as Rizevim Lucifer threw a massive assault that saw most of the city destroyed."

…

"WHAT?!" The girl jumped off her chair and started to tug at his shirt. "How- Why- YOU!"

To say this massive news without flinching was just… annoying and infuriating.

She let out an exasperated groan and softly headbutted his chest. "You.. are possibly the most insane being I've ever met."

"Once you see Rizevim you will be reconsidering this statement." He replied with a small smile. "Alas I think I will be going now since it's getting a little late and I've stuff to do back home."

Rias backed away with a frown. "_You what?_ We barely did anything and I want to know more-"

"This might be the first visit of many." He interrupted, promising extra time for later. "The objective for this situation is that you need to get out from your room and wander a little more. I don't know how you are going to spend your time, but you need to get out of there and get some more social contact."

"It's not that bad." She replied stubbornly with a frown. "I-I'm fine-"

"We are shrouded by darkness, I can _smell _that while you showered you didn't get the tracksuit cleaned and… do I have to check your browser history-"

"T-That's unwarranted! I- _We_ both know that it's a must once or twice in a while."

…What? It wasn't like it wasn't normal for a girl her age!

"Get out, change the tracksuit until this one is clean." He ordered with a tired tone. "Go play Monopoly, paint walls or just blast things around with the Power of Destruction, you can't pull a hermit life like this."

He stood up from his chair and turned towards the door. "Also before I forget this one, you should call Sona and speak a little with her and… please, do ask her about the 'uniform situation'."

The door closed behind him and leaving her alone in the room once more, lots of thoughts left for her to pick up and properly address in good time.

Yet, despite the encouraging words and the good suggestions he left for Rias to explore, the redhead's attention was mostly taken by just a small detail of his last speech.

_**What the heck was the 'uniform situation'?!**_

* * *

**AN**

**Small steps, nothing too rushed and… Rias will possibly be back?**

**A pseudo-Gamer, a Memester in the making, the Gremory will show 'new powers' once she is fully restored to the cast. Will it be fun, will it be cringey?**

**Only time will tell!**

**Also quick reminder for those wondering 'what happened to the Omega Foundation?': Another chapter of fluff and I will resume the more serious stuff. The insanity about Azrael has just unfolded and I will be taking inspiration from Jojo to draft a 'sidestory' of sort inside this very plotline. The main protagonist? An OC that isn't an OC, but absolutely not an Insert of any kind.**

_**You better look out to whom you should trust in these trying times…**_

_**Future milestone 1: 870 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Scrumblenut****: Bismarck- I mean, **_**This Author **_**always has a plan!**


	54. Amnesiac Danger

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 53****: Amnesiac Danger **

* * *

Trying to keep things safe in Tokyo was proving to be a task far more difficult than the 'easy mission' she had expected to deal when assigned to the case.

Last month has been rather unkind to Raynare.

After losing her wings, being stripped of her high role within Grigori and forced to go through the grunt's penance for the second time as the infuriating jobs were unbecoming of someone with her power-

Or rather _someone that had that much power before being beaten by some no-name human._

Even thinking about that stupid bastard was enough to make her anger boil. Yet the wingless Fallen Angel was hardly interested in trying to get some revenge against those that condemned her through this downfall.

Not because she was dumb enough to ignore the infuriating group, but more like she still was afraid by threats the Governor-General had drilled in her brain just a month ago.

As much as she tried to explain how this was all done in the name of Grigori, to bring more power to the faction, Azazel dully rejected these affirmations, saying that trusting the words of someone like Kokabiel had been one of the worst mistakes the young woman could have committed.

It wasn't a secret to many low-tier officers that Kokabiel wasn't the most reliable leader, having tried more than once to kick-start some conflict either with Hell or Heaven.

Yet when she was greeted by this powerful commander and then promised power in exchange of caution and devotion of the Twilight Healing to Grigori, Raynare couldn't help herself but take a bite at the bait.

How foolish the girl had been to think that she would have been smart enough to try and attack that gullible Hyoudou to steal his Sacred Gear. By messing that simple operation, she ended up ruining the rest of her plans regarding that naive nun as she drew the wrath of that _fucking nobody._

It still stung, literally. Her back ached once or twice every moment of the day as Azazel decided to leave a 'gift' before turning his attention elsewhere, either administering the faction or fooling around with other projects.

No matter which healing product she used during training sessions or while she was supposed to rest, her wings weren't going to grow back as the seal prevented that.

Deprived of the power of flight and weakened to a pitiful state, Raynare was ready to endure some hellish treatment by her co-workers. Teasing, chiding and lectures ensued by the moment she was reassigned to one of the densest garrisons in Japan that had one of the strictest training camp owned by Grigori.

She was supposedly 'guarding' the facilities with other Fallen Angels, but the Governor-General didn't back away from making her experience… worse than expected.

Raynare's days for two full weeks were filled with harsh training of various kinds. She wasn't given much relief, nor rest as the young woman was pushed to prove even more than the trainees.

She was a former field agent, she was rightfully expected to accomplish the tasks in peak performance.

But while the girl dreaded the beginning of the new day and wasn't allowed any luxury to spend her free time, her mind decided to experiment around something she had noticed during _that fight_ and felt interested enough to give it a try.

With her power halved and her wings taken, Magic had turned to be an essential but limited tool. Magical training was something the camp allowed during free time and Raynare was quick to exploit the opportunity to improve herself and gain some-ability that could replace her previous spears.

The Silver Lining spell, the very atrocious nightmare that had been mostly responsible for her defeat, proved to be an extremely useful tool.

Not only to throw things left and right or latch onto an opponent or a thing, but to also create traps by adding new spells that could well-mix with the simple support magic.

Her strings were now strong enough to slash strong boulders and tie down multiple magical-enchanted automated dummies.

Physical-wise, her form was shaped carefully, her strength slowly coming close to match her enchanted blows back in Kuoh and her speed was almost double as when she began.

Quite painful, but from pain she found new strength and purpose.

The month proved that gaining power through training was… oddly gratifying. It wasn't easy as it was stealing the ones available to others, but she didn't have to deal with anything that could potentially kill her in the process of 'growing up'.

As strange and annoying as it might sound, that goddamn fight may have closed the door of a slow ascendance through the ranks of the faction but it also opened a massive door that held unquestionable and untapped potential.

It would have been a grand thing to accept if… something else hadn't happened.

While Raynare was sent to the rookies, Mittelt and Kalawarner were given a lesser punishment by being merely reassigned to another leader. Nothing else was changed, their ranks left untouched as their wings were.

Contacts were keep out of former camaraderie and respect, and news were exchanged every single day since they were split…

Until they started to follow_that blasted FAN CLUB!_

'Hoitsu-sama is so strong! Hoitsu-sama is so handsome!'

And even though those details were terribly true, it didn't make the sense of betrayal any less than how she initially felt it at the revelation.

Isolated and left alone to deal with her tasks, training seemed to be only thing left for her to embrace fully.

It was annoying when Tokyo was attacked and she was quickly moved out of the facilities and right to guarding duty. While the capital had recovered pretty nicely, the city was still hiding some of the monsters present during the assault.

The objective was easy: Keep the assigned district safe from supernatural enemies while steering clear with the still-active conflict between Ghouls and Humans.

It was an odd addition, Raynare knew that Ghouls were dangerous to Fallen Angels if not taken seriously and she was put even in a greater disadvantage by being wingless.

The night shifts were the worst cases as those happened during the period of time of the day when the flesh-eaters were keen to wander around for a midnight snack.

The young woman was a target, not the easiest but still someone that could be quickly taken down by a good ambush.

That is why she carefully moved through the alleys and backed away from any large groups she would see during patrol.

Monsters were sneaky too, making tracking them quite the difficult mission but… she ended up already finding five in the last two days during her later shifts and she wasn't certainly backing down because of the difficulty.

Raynare was determined to not fail at her first test after so much time of 'inactivity' and that made her even more careful to not… mess things up.

Thus planning and paranoia became important elements during her work here in Tokyo, making sure to not spark any suspicious about her real intentions nor anything that could screw up her **Yuma Amano **fake identity.

Then… _she met __**him**__._

-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dd-

Her nose itched in disgust at the terrible smell coming from the trashcans and small dumpsters all around the alleys she was exploring.

This day-shift was already 'stinking' and Raynare was glad that it was now a matters of minutes before she could go back to the small bed of her temporary flat. It wasn't the best place where to live and rest but she knew that it would have gotten much worse if she decided to ask for another place.

Turning the umpteenth corner, the girl stopped and hid behind one of the bins as she heard and _saw_ a punch slamming a young man against the brick wall of the building.

He had short, dark-blue hair that hardly reached the end of his neck, orange eyes giving off a goofy but intelligent light while he was being taken out by the man.

_Is that a Ahoge?_

A simple yelp, a surprised expression painted in the youthful face of the victim of the beating. Then the same hand that hit him, snatched him by his neck and lifted him up.

The young woman slowly turned to stare at the culprit, giving a flat look at the craze-looking ghoul donning the generic thug-like clothes set, trying to appear one of the toughest around but only making her eyes roll in dim annoyance.

The situation was clear, the boy had somehow been lured away from public's sight and the flesh-eating fiend was capitalizing on the idiocy of the young human.

...Nothing to see here.

Just as she was about to turn around and let _nature be nature_, she ended up hearing the reply of the supposedly scary bystander and… she stopped.

"I-Is this a game?" The boy asked naively, his burst lip slowly _healing up_. "What are the rules? How do I win?" His ahoge twitching curiously at what was going on.

The man snarled and slammed even harder the younger being onto the wall. "Playing dumb aren't you to avoid being killed? Also how are you managing to heal this quickly?"

The teen blinked, eyes widened. "Oh? Isn't that normal for hu- _I mean_, isn't that normal with other people."

"You are annoying, brat." The Ghoul remarked with some anger.

His chokehold increased, but no reaction at the sudden increase was visible in the boy's facial features.

"But I bet you will be a satisfying meal once I'm done with you." A malicious grin spreading on his lips as his kakugan burned fiercely at the idea of devouring the easy prey.

Raynare blinked, her eyes narrowing at the still-present confusion on the youth's face.

What the hell was his problem? Why wasn't he scared or afraid of-

She sighed, hoping that she had indeed heard correctly from the young man's words, the small detail alluding for him to be… non-human.

The girl couldn't feel much from him and… that was odd. _He didn't feel like a human, he didn't feel like anything or anyone she had ever seen or felt._

A strange individual shrouded in mystery…

This sounded so terribly cringey but… she had to intervene now that her curiosity was begging to see more from this unknown element in the field.

The Ghoul's eyes widened when white-colored strings of light wrapped tightly around his arms, just below his elbows, and with a painful crunch cut both limbs up.

The boy was quickly dropped, his eyes widening too but instead of showing some disgust at the gruesome scene… he looked more fascinated by the fallen arms.

Pain and panic surged at the sudden strange attack, yet his eyes were quick to lock onto the culprit of this attack as Raynare slowly advanced towards him.

She was wearing a professional dark-themed tracksuit, her face hidden by a motorcycle's helmet as to not give away her 'identity' away.

"Y-You! You are of the CCG!"

The human-made group with the purpose of 'countering' Ghouls? What a squalid notion but… maybe it was the pain speaking- Nah, he has to be the dumbest bastards in the city if he thought that a masked girl was part of that organization.

"Leave." She tried to order at the Ghoul, but her annoyance dripping and influencing her words, making it sound like a pompous demand.

"Y-You think that you can just come here and command me, you bitch?! I am- I am going to kill you."

Admittedly, Raynare should have expected that the Kagune could have been a problem. Depending on situations, Kagunes were the bane of people like her as these were used as major weapons either for long- and short-range.

So when a wing-like construct formed from the thug's back and started to shoot at her with some pellets, her reaction time proved to be… disappointing even for her standards.

It wasn't like she was arrogant in thinking she could easily take a single Ghoul, it was more of a case of ignorance regarding her current mental state.

She was tired after some intense shifts, barely getting any rest those days and the lack of proper training was destabilizing her pattern just a little.

So when she rushed out of the pellets' way, two or three still managed to sharply cut at her leg.

Hissing in pain, the Fallen Angel gave a deadly glare at the smug-looking Ghoul before ordering her Silver Lining to wrap around the fool's neck and decapitate him.

The bloody show that followed didn't hit anywhere near her, nor near the silent boy as he stared in awe at the scene unfolding before him. His stare was… childish, as if he was a little kid looking at a clown making some animal balloons in front of him.

With the threat neutralized and the teen ready to be taken away, the girl made just a step towards him and stopped, flinching in pain as three large gashes were bleeding by her leg. The very limb wobbled a little, strength failing but she wasn't certainly going to fall because of it.

Sighing, she turned at the 'human' and tensed when he started to walk towards her.

"W-What kind of game is this? Did you win or-"

"S-Shut up! T-This isn't a game!" The woman replied sharply and angrily, the pain causing her wording to be more aggressive than usual. "I'm- Can you give me some help, I did help you back here and-!?"

The boy showed some realization, nodding mid-speech and crouching a little so he could tap her leg and…

Light engulfed the limb, a soothing warmth coating it as the wounds and the blood vanished.

The Fallen Angel blinked, surprised at such sight and her jaws falling in reaction, but then turned to stare at the smiling young man and she… felt her cheeks flushing.

W-What did- Why?!

"W-Who are you?" She finally asked, her mind riddled in confusion at such enigmatic individual and his unknown abilities.

The youth smiled and nodded. "Oh? My name is Nobody, Kind Lady."

A confusing introduction that gave her more questions than before, something that wasn't helping her growing headache.

She wanted genuine answers, not this… crap!

Yet part of her reminded her than wasting time around in this area of the city would hardly help her in any way.

While the Ghoul was dead, who knows how many more there are all around, lurking to join in the 'little banquet' both she and this stranger were presenting by staying idle.

She needed to go… back home.

Sighing, Raynare took hold of the collar of the teen's shirt and started to pull him, encouraging him to follow.

"Keep quiet and don't get away from me." A simple command, one that would have easily made people question her intentions… but the very individual interested by the statement was just smiling and complying to the simple demand, like a newly-adopted puppy would do to its new owner.

_But things were far from over…_

* * *

Nobody was his name.

He knew the meaning of the term and how it could be intended as a derogatory word, but he also knew that it was the truth.

He had no name, thus Nobody was his name.

The reasoning also had a nice ring to it and thus he kept calling himself as such.

He remembered how he woke up in a large forest far away from Tokyo, how he had started to walk _away_ from something. Something he knew nothing from but for some reason felt scared to encounter.

But what was fear? What was being 'scared'?

Questions increasing every step he took, aimlessly making a path away from that very forest and right towards civilization.

The cemented roads were good signs that he was going in the right direction and his optimistic perspective undeterred by what ended up being a two-days long trip of endless walking.

His legs weren't aching, nor he felt anything that could get him from stopping to walk.

Walk was moving, moving felt like things were changing all around him and thus he walked until he found the next interesting thing.

He knew what Tokyo was… a city. His mind was empty from anything that could add to the beautiful series of buildings captured within the civilization of mankind.

He wasn't Human, Nobody was sure he wasn't human, and yet he felt a sense of kinship regarding them, a connection that also kept him from annoying the strange patterns they were adopting all around the streets of this massive settlement.

Encountering the rather odd but comical man, the one that snarled a lot and had some strange eyes, proved to be beneficial because he then ended up meeting with…

Her.

She didn't offer him her name yet, her face and body hidden by some heavy clothes that left him intrigued and confused.

During their walk that ended inside one of the many buildings all around, the woman was keen to tell him that he had been put in danger and that he should be thankful of her intervention.

An odd depiction of the situation since… he hasn't been truly in danger… hasn't he?

He didn't certainly perceive anything threatening from the recently-killed man, but if this curious woman said that she was his savior, _who was he to refuse her?_

The world was just that odd.

Odd enough to make his mind question how things really work in this silly place, odd enough to make him amused and endeared by how silly it truly was.

A mirthful chuckle hid behind his lips as he was led in a strange… cubicle?

Its walls were metallic, the 'doors' closing as the woman started to press the curious display of lights and then… _he felt moving up._

So this was how people went to the upper floors?

Nobody was sure that it had to be the good replacement of stairs, this contraption helping simple humans to go through numerous floors at once.

How convenient and genuinely complex!

His smile widened as the woman sighed in relief at the clicking noise the door they reached made, entered inside the… house?

He blinked, awe reaching up to an astronomical level as he was greeted by what looked like to be the interior of a house.

A wondrous sight for sure, he admitted within his thoughts with overly-enthusiastic giddiness.

Just as he was about to finally comment about what he was looking at, his eyes locked onto the young woman and… he stopped thinking for a moment.

Her helmet-like cover was off and her hair fell freely out of it. Long and well-cared black hair reached down below her lower back and her violet eyes looked… unfocused for a moment as she started to slowly remove her attire.

Soon a white sleeveless shirt was revealed and her… chest was given some more freedom.

He blinked and for some strange reason felt the need to look away, his face reddening a little at the sudden action of the woman.

She seemed to notice, a frown plastered in her face but also some… amusement?

"Something caught your attention~."

Her tone was soft and… strange. A funny strange, a strange he was unable to truly understand but…

"The house is nice." He replied happily, the girl's frown deepening while her smile disappeared in a… pout?

"It's small," She commented quietly. "But yes, it's fairly nice."

He nodded. "So… what now?"

Were they now going outside once more? Meet other people?

"Right now I need some sleep," She blinked _tiredly_. "But first, I need to eat something."

Sleep? Eat?

His mind knew what those were but… did it mean that he had to… eat and sleep too?

He was gestured to the small yellow-colored table and soon Nobody took one of the seats for himself and… waited.

He was so excited by everything around him. So many unknown objects and devices that all had quirky purposes, simplifications of more difficult labors rendered easy to the comfort of many.

Mankind was odd but also smart. So smart that they even explored beyond Earth!

His thoughts were interrupted when a strange cup-like container was placed in front of him. It was opened by the upper section as steam softly lifted from it.

The boy blinked at two wooden… sticks?

What was… this?

He paused, eyes looking up right at the dark-haired woman. The girl hummed as she slowly took the sticks in one of her hands, interwoven in her fingers, and then brought one of the strings present inside the deliciously-scented liquid in the container to her lips and…

**Slurp.**

He blinked again, this time turning his attention back to his steamy cup and… emulating the same pattern the female sitting in the opposite seat of his.

He managed to slowly got the hang behind the sticks and then… fished one of the strings. It was rather limp but he managed to coordinate well enough to bring it to his own lips and…

**Sl-urp~!**

At first he was ready to copy even the small sound the girl made but… the intensity grew higher than hers. It was just that… the limp string was _so good~!_

As soon as he devoured the first one, he moved to the next one and again… again… and again.

His mouth sent delightful notes and he could feel a strange positive sensation from his stomach.

His face glowed in pure glee and he paused a moment to bring a hand onto his cheek.

A snort briefly interrupted the heavenly reaction, the girl seemed entertained by his reaction.

"You know that this is just some cheap noodles?"

Cheap… noodles? That is the name of this food?

Yes, this was certainly proof that humanity was going forward. If this was cheap, such a delightful treat that filled everyone with this gorgeous emotion, then Nobody was now intrigued what 'expensive' food could taste like.

"By the way, your name is… Nobody, right?"

He nodded, happy that she remembered. "Yes." He replied, showing his cheerfulness.

"You mean that… you don't have a name or someone gave this to you-"

"I picked it." He admitted with minor pride, causing the woman to blink.

"Is that so?" The teen nodded again and she sighed. "What if… someone wanted to give you another name?"

He stopped from eating the noodles and stared up with a starry-eyed expression.

"It would be nice." He muttered calmly.

"What if I decided to call you..." She hummed quietly and then nodded. "Junichi?"

_Junichi _felt something pressing on his chest, something internal and… it was an emotion. What was it and… why he felt his eyes getting wetter?

"That's… nice?" He was confused over the meaning behind this word but… he knew it was better than nobody.

"Good." She sighed and then stopped while looking at his face. "Are you alright?"

The wetness started to slowly fall off his cheeks, drops of water reaching the table's surface and then…

A handkerchief was softly pressed right where the water was falling, a small scowl present on the girl's face. "You are crying because I gave you a name? Are you a crybaby?" She asked with a placid tone.

What was a crybaby? Did- Did he offend her?

"I-I'm sorry."

Another sigh. "You truly are something, Junichi." She commented distractedly, before glancing back at him. "By the way, I'm Raynare."

Raynare?

Ray…Nare.

Ray-na-re.

_Raynare!_

He nodded, waiting for _Raynare_ to finish cleaning the unknown wetness and return back to her seat.

The 'Eating' session continued for a little more before the two cups were taken away back to the kitchen. The young woman returned and gave him some instructions.

"I will be sleeping for… maybe four hours. I would advise you to rest for a while and to not cause any issues while I'm resting." She pointed her finger at the long couch and gave him a sheet.

"Use this to cover yourself and… you know what to do."

Yet he didn't, but he decided to merely nod and accept the orders.

Happy of his reaction, Raynare went ahead to leave him alone in the living room as he tried to find a way to cover himself with the short sheet.

He tried to find a way but… in the end his socks were visible at the end of the couch, uncovered and feeling cold.

And now… what was he supposed to do?

Junichi had never thought that he would end up thinking too much about… sleep.

What was sleep? The act of sleeping was something that had to do with… closing your eyes and… and then what?

The boy closed his eyes but… he just would be awake, only with his eyes closed.

He huffed, this challenge taking his full wit for fifteen minutes before he conceded defeat and… decided to ask for help.

There was a strange silence within the 'house' but Junichi was quick to find his way right to Raynare's room and… He frowned at the sight he was offered.

Instead of the expected a large bed with the girl tucked in, the young man blinked in surprise at the small… thing which resembled a mini-bed.

There was no mattress underneath it but it was… functional?

He could see Raynare's hair, her head set away from looking from the entrance and… she was shivering.

His eyes widened, this time in… apprehension. Was she feeling cold? Of course that silly mini-bed wasn't going to offer enough warmth but… what was he supposed to do?

He was grateful that she saved him, that she took him to her home and… gave him food and a place where to 'rest', so he had to help her somehow.

Could he offer her his sheet?

No, then he would be left without something to keep himself warm and… then his mind picked up some information about warming up someone.

_It… It could work._

Without hesitation and with a determined smile plastered on his face, Junichi slowly went to lie beside the girl and, lifting up the cover of the mini-bed, snuggled inside the tight contraption, using the sheet to cover up the new gap. His arms slowly wrapped around the shivering girl's waist and… the effects were instantaneous.

The shivering ceased moments later as her soft snoring replaced the sound of her shivers. He blinked, nodding happily at his success and… decided to try to sleep there.

His eyes closed and… this time he felt his attention diverting from his thought and… right on the warmth he could feel coming from Raynare.

It was a nice warm, something that felt delightful and…

_Without thinking too much about it, Junichi fell asleep beside the woman that saved him._

_**The following day, Raynare would be the first one to wake up and… subsequently beat where it was possible the confused boy. When the reasons behind such a closeup happened were disclosed by the recovering male, the Fallen Angel was reported sporting a full-face blush for the rest of the day.**_

* * *

**AN**

'**Ow now! Thewe iz a new character! This story is over!'**

**Seriously, after receiving this comment just a few times and… having someone read the fanfic to know if it was **_**that**_** bad, I grew resilient to this kind of comment. I can understand if you were 'dropping' the story for grammar issues, I admit I suck once or twice in a while, but I fail to see how the story is 'literally dead' for you all readers.**

**But alas the story of Raynare and Junichi will be fully explored… in the upcoming Christmas Sidestory called 'Amnesiac Danger DxD'. **

**It will be an Investigation and Lore-explorer for what happens to Tokyo while Hoitsu isn't there and… the main protagonists are the duo presented there.**

**But worry not, Junichi and Raynare will be part of the main plot anyway and… will appear several chapters from now.**

**And yes, I've decided to relegate the secondary plotlines like the 'Harry Potter', the Nanoha and the JoJo storylines to sidestories.**

**I know that many were expecting those to happen in this main story, but I felt that I was trying to lift a 1500KG weight by going for that route.**

**There will still be some references and the 'Jojo react' will still be there. Also, lots of WRYs and ORAs coming very soon!**

**Lastly, Junichi might be relevant and 'dangerous' later in the plot but… I can admit without shame that he will be the perfect example of Man-child cinnamon roll. Lots of chaos, insanity and mayhem and… he will grow up to be a little more human. **_**They will both grow up.**_

**P.S. New Schedule is now up in my FF Profile Bios. Magical Trickster DxD will still be a daily-updated story.**

_**Future milestone 1: 870 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Middernacht****: Could happen during a Bake-Off challenge between the two, either by Serafall's unique tastes in bakery or Gabi's inexperience with Kitchens.**


	55. Back to School (?)

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 54: Back to School (?)**

* * *

I was patiently waiting by the Student Council's club when a sudden wave of nostalgia washed over me.

Just a month away and I was already missing the place where I spent my free time… signing paperwork and helping with any administrative-related situation.

_Now, doesn't this bring some fond memories?_

_**When we started the year at Kuoh Academy, without a single idea of how different it would be compared to a Lyceum? **_

_Weren't those happy times-_

_**You were literally regretting going to school after the first day. And we faced much worse than that.**_

_I was just being melodramatic-_

_**Something you are showing more than usual nowadays. I admit that you have been rather… annoying about some stuff.**_

_You think so?_

'**It's something a little less about a sudden change of attitude and rather that you have been… easing your attention over serious matters.**'

_I mean, things had turned rather slow ever since the attack on Tokyo and I rarely get to spend some time to recover about… everything._

_**You are getting lazy. I can spot some chub forming already-**_

_I am still training enough to keep in shape, you dingus!_

The walk to reach the club-room gave me the chance to look if Sona did end up changing the uniforms already and… I was surprised to see people wandering the school's grounds without a uniform.

Everyone was walking with their own clothes and it didn't take me much to understand the reasoning behind the situation.

Since ordering new uniforms was going to take some time, I guess that the Heiress of the Sitri Clan wanted to avoid keeping people from continuing to use the extremely 'unbecoming' clothes and opted to merely remove the uniform clause with the support of the principal and the School Board.

A daring move in a Japanese High School, but given the reasons that motivated this extreme action, I bet convincing people of this temporary situation was far easier than in a normal circumstance.

Finally the door opened and I was greeted by two familiar individuals which… paused in surprise at my presence.

Sona was stuck in her place and…

I barely had enough time to understand that _Tsubaki's _hand was pinching my poor cheek, lifting me from my seat and glaring right at my pained face.

"A month." She breathed furiously. "You have been away from Kuoh for a full month and you didn't even deign to send me a message."

"_Sowwy!_"

"N-Not enough!" She sighed before letting go and giving me a hug. "I missed you."

I hummed and nodded, still aching from that cruel greeting. "Mis-Missed you too."

"What," The Sitri blinked confused, her voice soft while showing some… surprise at the reactions. "Is that?"

We stopped the hug and Tsubaki backed away, sporting an embarrassed blush while I let out a sheepish smile.

"J-Just g-greeting a friend! Nothing else!" The long-haired girl explained and Sona's stern look seemed to find honesty in the Queen's words.

Deciding to avoid any other headaches, Sona turned her attention to me once more. "Hoitsu, wasn't expecting to see you this early and… without notice."

"I decided to come and visit around. I'm happy by how you are dealing with the uniform issue-"

"Ordering so many school uniforms for both genders proved to be quite… annoying. People asking why a school needed that many uniforms at once, trying to find a way to sell the _unbecoming _ones and finally dealing with Irina-san and her quirky attitude." The girl admitted eloquently, causing me to raise a curious eyebrow about Irina's situation.

Oh? _Now that last one is… intriguing._

_**She appeared to be rather fine back home and both Issei and Asia have said nothing about anything wrong.**_

"I know that I shouldn't be given any information about the last predicament but… since Irina is staying at my house, can I at least know the general bits of-" I tried to subtly get some answers but… I soon discovered that I didn't need any of that.

"She decided that she had to use a very skimpy pair of clothes during gym sessions. I don't know where she got the idea that a short shirt that show her mid-riff and some short pants can be considered a replacement to the precedent uniform… and let's not forget her… predisposition with the teachers."

Sona had already taken a seat and I knew that things were but just at the beginning with the exorcist.

Why I feel like she was going to be a difficult case-

"She broke one of the teachers' hands because she got corrected about some mistakes in her homework." She added with a groan.

I frowned. "Couldn't it have been just that she mistook the teacher's actions as menacing-"

"It was Mayumi-sensei and she is still at the local hospital for that."

I flinched at the image of the kind and old woman that was Mayumi-sensei, the kind and revered teacher having been rather the supportive kind with all of her students and… now I knew that the situation needed my intervention somehow.

"I will… have a talk with her when I get back home." I affirmed with determination.

"That's good to know and," She paused a moment, seemingly recovering from that rather annoying topic. "I guess that your visit isn't just for pleasantries."

I tilted my head and blinked. "Actually… it kind of is." I admitted quietly. "But the topic is 'outside' of Kuoh right now. Did Rias call you yesterday?"

Sona froze a moment and frowned.

"I… She might have called, yes, but it was quite the short call." She replied slowly. "She seemed quite nervous at first but then showed some of her former self. I suppose you are somehow involved if you mentioned it."

"I visited and… she is dealing with the situation by turning in a pseudo-NEET." My response was met with a facepalm.

"Of course she would..." Pink eyes narrowed right at me. "I hope she wasn't doing anything… _indecent_."

"She was playing a RTS, nothing weird other than megalomaniac ambitions in a fictional scenario." My brief description caused the girl to crack a small smile at that.

"I bet it is Total War Shogun 2. That would explain who is the player that is failing so much in the multiplayer section of-" She stopped as my eyes mirthfully locked onto hers, a blush spreading as she tried to back-pedaled away. "I-I mean, I heard that-"

"Sona, playing RTS isn't a grave sin and I'm not the Spanish Inquisition." I interrupted with a tired sigh. "But I want to know how you-"

"Oneesan thought it would be nice for me to have a computer instead of playing with the same people at chess. She showed me this website where you can play with people from all around the world and then… brought me that game." She explained quietly, her blush still present.

"That is… interesting." I nodded with a smile. "But let's return to the call. Any important topic or-"

"She said that you entered her room like some thief." The Sitri answered curtly.

"She had her lights off and was playing in full darkness. I think she would need glasses if she was a human girl after being this close to the screen for Gods' know how much."

_**Reminds you of someone in particular?**_

_I'm willingly accepting the burden of having done been dumb as a child-_

_**You continued to do that until you were sixteen.**_

_I think teenage years begin by seventeen-_

_**And last until 18?**_

_You know, we are starting to sound like an old couple._

_**Please no.**_

_Then stop nagging me like that._

_**Only if you stop being this dumb.**_

The discussion changed to other topics, ranging from simple life things to more serious ones and…

The question I dreaded the most came around.

"By the way, Hoitsu, when are you planning to rejoin Kuoh Academy?" Tsubaki asked calmly. "It's been a month now and you shouldn't just waste the whole year like that."

I sighed, relaxing a little on the chair. "I'm working on having an efficient way to deal with my responsibilities with my group, but I hope to rejoin in a week or two from now."

"We are going to consider this a promise, you know that?" Sona pressured much to my displeasure. "You are a good student, a good young man and… I think this wish is shared by Tsubaki and others, I want to see you graduate here before I do."

I blinked. "What?"

"You may be unaware of it but… you set a good example of life for many young students here at Kuoh Academy. Both males and females have been working really hard to try and keep up with 'Hoitsu-senpai'." Sona's statement brought some surprise at me as… I was unaware of this.

I know that I was popular at school, but I long thought that it was just a matter of appearance rather than… being a role model.

Why did I never notice any of this?

_**Too busy with your own problems. We aren't that much interested in the school's social habitat and thereby ignored most of it while going for our way forward... I wonder how much did we influence them.**_

"Some boys have started to act less annoying around girls and some couples have formed during the last few months of school. All because… the boys followed your attitude of being gentlemen around girls." Tsubaki continued, adding more curiosity to the growing fire within my mind.

"B-But then why I-"

"There is a relatively quiet Fan Club about you here at the Academy, not as crazy as the one developing via Grigori, and they have been promoting a curious manifesto about the 'good student' with you as the prime example." Sona continued to talk, noticing my confused look.

"It has a large amount of the school's population subscribed and many think that it has improved immensely the social condition and the grades of the entire school. The recent exams displaying some record marks compared to the last six years."

_Well damn…_

_**I know, it's odd but… you are famous for being a decent human being in a school with perverts.**_

"T-That's a lot to take." I admitted after being so much silent. "I suppose that… I will take my leave now."

Both girls nodded and the three of us stood altogether as we made our way towards the door and, as I made my way outside I-

**Thud**

I was pushed to the ground by two erratic-looking boys. Two very familiar boys.

Matsuda and Motohama froze as they stared up to find a furious scowl attached to the 'bane of their existence'. It was in that moment that I noticed that they were holding clothes- no.

They were holding bras and panties of various colors and kinds.

Goddammit, already regretting coming here.

I stood up while pulling up with me the two panicking perverts while I heard a familiar stampede of people coming nearby and… I was greeted by the entire Kendo Club rushing towards us.

While I had expected a full cavalry charge at that point, I was surprised when they all stopped.

Their eyes went wide open, their anger towards the two boys turning in shock at seeing me there… after a month of being away.

An uneasy silence followed and then-

"Hoitsu-senpai!"

"Hoitsu-san! He is back!"

The girls all approached, looking rather happy to see me back to the Academy and, while I would have been glad to make this kind of encounters, the issue was… the state of their clothes.

The most conservatives of the group were only wearing a shirt and knee-long pants while some were covering their chest with their arms and…

"Ladies please, while I would be… glad to greet all of you, I think you should mind the fact you need to put on the clothes that were stolen by those two."

As if on cue, the two perverts let go of their stolen goods and the Kendo club started to flock to pick up their underwear. Some glared at the two morons while others spared some smiled at me and gave a quick greeting before backing away.

Some went back to their changeroom and… others remained for a little while.

_**I think they are… trying to get you to stay there so the others can have a chance to speak with you.**_

_They could have… asked me to wait._

_**It would have been weird to ask, we both know that.**_

_Yeah…_

In the end, I ended up sparing some words with the girls of the Kendo Club and the… plans of my return to the school were revealed.

They were all elated for this, but they didn't went overboard with their enthusiasm and soon… I was escorted to the entrance.

With this visit finished, I was ready to go back home and… deal with some new issues.

_**Now, what should I do about Irina?**_

* * *

**Fragment of a Broken Cycle: Primus Adventus Apocalypsis**

**Timeline: (Broken Trickster DxD)**

* * *

This… This should work.

I sighed in bare relief as I was granted a small place where to rest after my little pilgrimage across the world.

Eh, pilgrimage…

Some might rightfully consider this trip more of an attempt to escape justice. Justice that would see me either dead or turned in a lab rat in the hands of some sadistic scientist.

Probably the latter considering that my crimes could easily get torture and eternal damnation if I was caught by the authorities.

I coughed, the blood staining the dirty floor of the abandoned alley that I made my newest home for the time being.

New York was the perfect place where to find a hiding spot.

There were just too many powerful beings all around and my already cloaked energy should make sure that no one had been able to track me to the Big Apple.

I slowly fell down, face meeting the floor as I embraced rest after failing to get some sleep for four months straight.

Insane regeneration and prime fear could do that to someone trying to run away from the greatest of trouble.

Nightmares were welcomed by now, at least I was still receiving some time to recover a-and think.

But then the thoughts weren't helpful. Quite the contrary if I have to be honest.

To say that I was suicidal, I think it would be wrong to a certain degree.

I didn't seek death because I had nothing else to lose, the issue was presented by… my very existence.

The more I walked on Earth, the more destruction I would end up causing.

The Beast was hungry and only sheer determination and a steel-like sense of duty were keeping it at bay for now.

But the Beast had already bathed its teeth in blood. Strong blood, devilish blood… _innocent blood._

My eyes were closed, yet I could still see the red-tinted scenes of that terrible day. My infamy, my greatest sin.

I croaked a sob, my sorry state of mind giving away some of the unquestionable guilt that was slowly consuming what was left of my sanity.

I was a ticking bomb, a very dangerous one that even a mere shake could decimate an entire city.

Spotting an unoccupied cardboard, I slowly crawled towards it and tried to get some cover from the sight of people wandering by the nearby street, trying to get the least attention and then… I did find some rest.

Darkness, screams and… confusion.

I started to stir up from my sleep the moment I was dropped in some soft floor, some rug that exuded some warm.

Eyes snapped open and I was granted the sight of a smug and familiar face that I seriously didn't need to deal with right now.

I couldn't be bothered to deal with Cao Cao right now.

The room was illuminated by several lights, I could see that there were numerous windows all around and…

We were in a skyscraper. The hint that give it all away was the sight of other tall buildings nearby and… I was punched in the face.

The new individual was crying, fat tears rolling off her face as she was pulled away by some other members of the small group that managed to capture me and put _just some lame seals_.

I was barely sluggish, but I was fairly sure it was this body's tiredness rather than some weak magical restraints.

Kuroka was trembling, struggling in the attempt of Bikou and Arthur keeping her away.

I felt a familiar presence staring right on the opposite side and… Yes, that was Vali.

So he did end up betraying Grigori anyway… or did he?

Looking around a little more, I saw several other faces. Faces that were all loyal to Azazel.

I could see Tobio Ikuse with the entirety of his team, I could see Baraqiel leading few members that I recognized as part of his Cadre.

"So this is the terrible monster responsible for Kuoh's massacre." The leader of the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade gloated quietly. "I thought you would have been more difficult to subdue after Ophis gave some of the harshest words she could ever gift to someone in this world."

"..." I didn't have much to say, not even his annoying face could bring out much from me anymore.

I was just… apathetic about this display of people as I knew that…

They couldn't do anything about me. I was beyond their reach.

I started to slowly get up, showing indifference at the seals swiftly trying to enforce their purpose onto my body but… cracked as I continued placidly in my simple move.

Some stared in shock at this, others were keen enough to not reveal any of the surprise at this development.

"You can't subjugate me," I flatly commented, my voice empty and… almost too weak to be heard all around. "I'm too dangerous."

The wielder of the True Longinus sighed. "I guess you are going to be a nuisance-"

"You mistook my words, Cao Cao." I interjected, a strangely mirthful rumble going through my throat. "You… you can't kill me."

As to prove my point I took a step towards him, his instincts kicking in as he took a good stance with the Longinus and…

**Crack**

His eyes widened in shock as my hand quickly took hold of the untouched mid-point of the lance and calmly broke it.

It didn't take too much for his shock to turn in sudden fear and panic, his strongest and only weapon shattered like that. The strongest Sacred Gear lost its glow, rusting as its pure magic was destroyed in a single action.

My hand burned slightly at touching something that powerful… and yet I was already regenerating from it.

"Do you want to know something I truly despise of you, Cao Cao?" I asked in a dull tone. "Everything, and I mean everything, about you is disappointing. From your 'grandiose' power to your 'heroic' personality."

He didn't reply, he was too afraid at the world-breaking panic he was suffering to listen much from my words. I was already a monster of an above level in his eyes, something that couldn't really be killed as I had proclaimed.

"Your origins are humble, your hate for some people legitimated by how said people acted against you, but I really hate how much of a pompous bastard you are." I sighed. "But the worst thing is… I hate how fake you are."

This time, the jab drove right onto his soul as his stare hardened for a moment but… I didn't care at this point.

"A hero is someone that use their power to protect innocent people, not to stroke their own ego and let the world in madness because of it." I chided, but I was too detached to give emotion to my words.

I was just… too much of a husk to care how to properly address some meaningful words.

Those would have been fine to inspire people, to get them to change from their evil way but…

_**There was just no way in Hell that Cao Cao could beg for redemption at this point and time.**_

"How much blood is staining your hands right now?" I asked nonchalantly. "You wouldn't know how many Yokais you killed because of some 'Divine Duty' towards humanity. It's kind of odd how you pledge your loyalty to mankind but you are the first retard to just go **let's kill them all** without hesitation."

"Y-You killed too, monster." The man recovered (finally!) and started to push back at my verbal attacks. "What is your excuse-"

"None." I replied without hesitation.

… "W-What?" He looked surprised. _The fool_.

"That is the thing, I can't excuse my genocide. I can't excuse the killing of so many people, nor I will ask for forgiveness for killing relatives of those present here." I admitted coldly. "Not because I feel entitled to what happened, but because **I don't deserve forgiveness.**"

There was a pause, I could feel some of the glares intensifying at the mentioning of that detail, something I was already prone to accept and thus did.

But I wasn't done with the impertinent lancer, I wasn't done making sure he was conscious of his grand sins.

"But do you want to know what makes me, the monster, better than you, the 'simple' hero?" My tone was dripping with the reality of my sanity. "I, a monster, recognize my nature as such after giving up my former self to something that lurked from the very beginning inside of me. Something that exists **only** within me and that wanted to kill. Only kill."

I paused, a sigh building up but failing to leave my lips.

"Then there is Cao Cao, the righteous human that eagerly kill everything that isn't human. Like a professional racist bastard with a big stick there to compensate a lack of morality, you went so joyously in a killing spree after murdering Yasaka's daughter back during my _very first mission_."

His eyes showed realization but no. **I wasn't done with this piece of shit.**

"I bet you are recollecting the fun time you had slaughtering the Yokai population in the city with your buddies, trying out some hunt sessions after you decided to go and kill Yasaka. Even with the city dying all around because the leylines collapsed and exploded, killing humans too, you still remember this proudly **like a good hero should, aren't you!?**"

I coughed, more blood staining the bandages covering my hands, clarity finally putting me back in a blank facade as I decided it was to end this charade once and for all.

"You… everyone, no matter the reasons driving you to this very place. Today this is going to be your grave." I sighed gravely as I felt everyone tensing at my words. "You have been sent to your death. You may think this is some arrogant statement, but I can assure you that your leaders, those you love and respect so much, _knew _that nobody was leaving this place alive."

Just as I was ready to go through the speech I had planned just a few moments ago, I felt something shifting… _right beside me_.

I ducked just in time to dodge what looked like a strange scythe, the blade not even managing to cut my hair as I suddenly twisted and slammed my hand through the attacker's chest.

I was expecting someone familiar, someone that I could lecture or maybe be guiltily hurt from but…

Blue eyes, the blonde hair. It looked like an Angel, but it didn't feel like one.

There was no Light within him, only nothingness.

But the Beast didn't care at all, recognizing food no matter their form or energy.

"B-brother?" There was a confused yelp from the intruder, the stranger considering family and yet I knew nothing about him. A trick? Possible but… the process was already ongoing.

There was not much of a reaction from the assailant, dark-red bubble spreading quickly all over its body and… then he was absorbed within me.

I could feel its power, its weaknesses and…

_Oh my God._

The tremendous amount of pain that slammed onto my soul was almost unbearable. The Beast roared in fear, its mindless state headbutting onto the wall of sorrow and getting drowned by it instantly.

The doubt, the hesitation, those were the mistakes it committed as finally I got clarity thanks to the last gifts of the stranger.

A full-copy of Humanity's souls that divided my very soul from the Beast, sparing it from being devoured so slowly, and then… the plan.

**An odd plan, a plan that was working but… it was flawed.**

It was a cycle, a never-ending route that showed mostly no changes.

_Then the worst scenario happened, the cycle was mended badly by some incompetent fool and…_

**And now there was an idea. Something to snap the painful resets and… create the perfect timeline.**

I had the instruments, I had the time and the clarity to deal with everything and…

_First, I will have to war with everyone for this to happen._

Nodding to myself, I barely noticed that everyone in the room had regained some bravery, Tobio leading the charge from Grigori's side while Vali leading the Khaos Brigade.

The dual attack was meant to overwhelm me but…

**I was in control. I was ****always**** in control… but now I could do it without butchering things up.**

A powerful blast destroyed the entire skyscraper in a controlled demolition, killing the entirety of the task force made by Khaos Brigade and Grigori.

Innocent bystanders blissfully unaware of the most terrified attack since September 2001 were taken by fear and shock at the loud explosion.

Those walking by the sidewalk nearby the building were surprisingly found unscathed, the pieces of the building being 'deflected' by what the witness would call 'red barriers' that formed all around them.

A supernatural case that happened to everyone nearby the explosion and leaving many to speculate about… strange theories.

With reporters drilling government's officials for a proper explanations of everything that happened in that quiet night, the world was shocked by the first case of paranormal activity that happened in such a large scale.

_**But the most confusing testimonies were all about the lone figure flying away from the blazing inferno of the collapsing building with what many would call 'Dragon-like Wings'.**_

* * *

**AN**

**...Not much to say here. :)**

_**Future milestone 1: 870 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	56. Guilty Price

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 55: Guilty Price**

* * *

The living room was quiet later that afternoon.

Tapping my fingers over the edge of the table, I waited patiently for Irina to finally speak.

She was a little nervous- scratch that, she was genuinely frightened by the irritated expression plastered on my face. Gulping nervously, the girl was fidgeting as if trying to delay whatever answer she had planned to give out.

'Do you want to be sent packing home?'

Harsh? A little, but it was necessary that she understood that the only reason the brunette was dodging anything close to an expulsion was only because of Michael's orders of having her study there.

Even though that saved her from dealing with any major punishment, the students in her classroom, all of those that heard of the fact she was given leniency over some heavy stuff she committed, were going to investigate about 'why she was untouchable'.

And any attention directed at the special situation at Kuoh Academy, the way some students were 'protected', wouldn't make life easier for anyone, especially for Sona and the administrative branch of the school.

Once I was back from my visit to the Academy, I decided to avoid any confrontation until late lunch-time, when most of the people had already gone away from the table and I had a chance of having some initial words with Irina.

"Irina, I need to borrow some of your time. We need to talk about something important." My voice was neutral, already a sign that something was off from my usual self.

Kunou noticed, same for Koneko and Asia. Kuroka and Akeno decided to not directly interest themselves to the situation as I wasn't that much angry at the human girl.

Issei paused a moment to glance my way but resumed his task of finishing eating the last bits of food in his plate the moment he saw me wave quickly his way.

Xenovia was the one that was the most interested on the matter and I decided to… try something about it.

With most of the group going to do their own things away from the room and Akeno deciding to start cleaning some of the dishes in exchange of an explanation about the matter after I was over with it, I found myself in the living room alone with Irina and… her former partner.

The blue-haired girl looked confused, curious and… wary of what was going to happen as I _wasn't _in a good mood.

_**And for good reasons too. I think it's time to address this issue before things escalate in a worse predicament.**_

"The bylaws of Kuoh Academy might be a hefty book to study, the length making it a rather dull read that no normal student would be eager to accomplish. It was because of this that some rules are presented by teachers for the first day of new students as to avoid any major issues early on during the year." I explained with a placid but stern tone. "Are you familiar with what I'm referring to?"

The question was left silent for a while, but then the girl nodded slowly, her face betraying none of the emotions channeling within her.

"Then do you know what is… rule fourteen?" I asked quickly and without hesitation, catching the brunette off-guard for a moment.

She seemed lost in her thoughts, trying to remember what exactly 'rule fourteen' was and then…

"I-I don't remember the precise rules- but I've been doing fine until now-"

"The rule states that 'Students, may they be boys or girls, have an essential duty in the form of representing a sense of self-decorum in keeping a proper set of clothes around. To never make use of revealing pieces and to remember the common sense regarding fashion and designs.'." I interjected with the full description of that specific rule. "You broke that rule-"

"T-That's- That's fake- I've been wearing proper clothes during school-time-" She tried to explain, but failed to notice that I wasn't in mood for interruptions today.

"Except when it was gym time, wearing extremely short clothes." My tone getting sterner and making her flinch a little. "A shirt that showed your mid-riff, do you think that is 'proper clothes'?"

Irina didn't reply to that one, a smart move finally coming from her about this matter.

"Xenovia, is it proper for an exorcist to wear something skimpy during training by the Church Standards?"

The Italian girl blinked and… shook her head. "It is… against the rules. The clothes are generally weighted ones to help augment the results of training and it is hardly condoned the showing of unnecessary skin with the training cloth."

I nodded at her reply. "Then I can say without hesitation that this isn't 'normal' by the Church Standard." I turned back to the guilty girl. "So may I ask why?"

"I-It's terribly hot here in Japan." She said, her excuse starting meek. "I tried to wear something a little more conservative but I've little that could help me to deal with the heat."

"Then why didn't you go to buy something new in these few days?" I pressed on, feeling that something was off about her explanation. "I know that you did went out around Kuoh Town with Asia and Issei."

She blinked, lips parting and ready to offer a response when… she stopped, cheeks flushing a little some embarrassment and I didn't exactly need an explanation about the reasons why she 'did not think about it'.

"Could it be that you were _interested _by 'something' else?" A sigh promptly left my mouth as I saw her eyes widening even more. "Just say yes, Irina, we don't need to go through details and we can agree that next time you are going out_ you will buy some new clothes_."

The brunette squirmed in her chair but managed a nod.

"Good, now that we finished with the least worrying concern, we can talk about the elephant in the room-" I turned my eyes at the confused look plastered in Xenovia's face. "A metaphor that means 'the issue at hand'."

She nodded in understanding and I focused back to her partner.

"Irina, do you know what is rule two?" My tone turned cold suddenly, causing the girl's eyes to widen once more, straying from the brief relief given by the idea of finally being left alone.

She blinked, her violet eyes widened before she looked away as realization struck. One of the most revered rules as it was particularly… distasteful to break.

"I-I'm unaware of anything about tha-"

"You broke Mayumi-sensei's hand, Irina." I replied flatly, gaining a twitch from the girl's body. "What is your excuse this time?"

…

Silence reigned for a full minute and I sighed in disappointment. "I'm trying to help you here, Irina, if you don't-"

"I-I don't need your help!" The brunette snapped quickly, sporting a defiant look. "While I did make some mistakes, I certainly will not accept the help of someone that is hardly connected to the Church, that lives with unbecoming people and-"

"Do you want to be sent packing home?" My voice cut through her little speech fairly easy, almost like a hot knife would with simple butter.

She froze, eyes going wide in shock at the sudden ultimatum.

Xenovia was alarmed by the unexpected escalation but didn't intervene just for now, giving me the chance to continue.

"Lord Michael has been kind enough to allow you to stay here in Kuoh Town so you wouldn't be taken away by Xenovia and by new friends there, he was kind enough to have you enlisted with some good recommendation and… this is your gratitude to him?"

She flinched once more but… I wasn't done yet.

Seriously, this girl wasn't going to like the following words.

"I might not be part of your little 'happy group', nor I follow some of the self-imposed rules you have, but I remind you that this is my house. I house you here, I give you free food, your laundry is made by expert people and… this is your gratitude for how many things have been done to you?"

"I-I didn't mean-"

"You meant every single word and what's worse is that you decided that 'because you were immune by most of the worst detentions' that you were going to exploit it whenever you wished."

I paused, blinking as I noticed that she was starting to shiver a little.

_Am I going a little overboard?_

_**I think the more you point out her faults, the more it will sound like this is beyond a mere case of lecturing.**_

'**Get to the point already. Right now she is ready and listening to you.**'

I nodded to myself and sighed. "But I am not a cruel monster and thus I will not force you to immediately leave Kuoh Town."

She froze, teary eyes looking up at my softened look. "W-What?"

"While your actions have been quite severe, I will allow to try and make amend of the mess you created." I sighed tiredly before continuing.

"Tomorrow morning you will be called by Sona to issue a formal apology directed to Mayumi-sensei and then Xenovia will take you to the hospital where you will apologize personally with the teacher in question." I concluded this bit of the redemption 'campaign'.

The brunette blinked in confusion and… her mouth betrayed her right where she thought she was left with such a simple punishment.

"N-Nothing else?" Her hands went to clap her lips shut, but it was already to late as I cracked a small smile at the reaction.

"Your hangouts with Issei and Asia will now happen on a weekly basis and tomorrow's will be the one for this week. It will be used for… that little clothes issue you have to deal with at once."

She groaned a little but nodded, keeping quiet this time.

"Good. Then I guess this discussion is done altogether, you both may go."

Irina nodded and stood up, walking towards the staircase and… stopping as she noticed that the blue-haired teen had yet to move.

"Xenovia?" I asked quietly for an explanation and the girl blinked.

"I actually had to talk with you, Hoitsu. Something about Gasper that I… wanted to know about."

I nodded at the brunette, gesturing her to go for her way as I talked with her friend. "Sure."

The girl hesitated for a moment but complied and soon it was only me and Xenovia.

"So, what do you want to know about Gasper-kun, Xenovia?"

She blinked for a moment and then… sighed tiredly. "Gasper told me why he wears girly clothes and... I wanted to ask if there had been survivors at the Tepes massacre of a few days ago."

_Now, that is a quick opening of himself._

_**Gasper needed someone to latch onto. Someone that isn't trying to possibly manipulate his Sacred Gear, of course Xenovia had her slack halved compared to Canon Issei.**_

"There is a survivor, yes. I suppose you are referring to Valerie Tepes, correct?"

Her eyes widened just a fraction, probably because the surprise was limited by the knowledge that I was aware of Gasper's origins.

"She is actually under the care of family, someone trustworthy." I paused a moment and frowned about a little thought about this very individual.

Azazel wanted to have her and the group she was currently keep safe in to join up with the Omega Initiative by tomorrow's reunion, thus I could… work something about it.

"I suppose you have Gasper's phone number." I guessed and at her nod I continued. "Then once this discussion is over, I want you to call him and tell him to ask Akeno to take him to 23 Sapporo Street around 4 and 5 PM. Valerie will come to Kuoh for an important reunion and I suppose it would work for him."

She blinked. "That sounds… like a trap."

"It's an official thing actually." I admitted with a genuine tone. "Azazel is making sure that the group I am leading has the proper manpower for the storm that is coming."

"And you… are recruiting Valerie Tepes?" The girl asked curiously.

"Her and someone else. Another teen that was present during the attack."

An unknown Belmont. The fact that he was named after the original name of the prime enemy of his family was fairly interesting but also legitimate.

There wasn't a major certainty over the knowledge the more recent generations of the vampire-slaying family had about Dracula and I guess the Inquisition burning up some of the archives might have messed things up in the process.

"So… 23 Sapporo… Street?"

I nodded and the Italian girl smiled. "Good and… thanks."

"You are growing attached to him." I commented as she stood up from her chair. "Do you return the affection he has for you, the fact he considers you an older sibling?"

"It's… strange." Xenovia admitted quietly but she still nodded. "Yet he is quite… refreshing to have around. Smart but not arrogant, I like his… taste in terms of games and his interesting knowledge over…_ anime?_"

I nodded to confirm her wording and her smile widened a little.

"Also, he did show me a special technique, a support one that… I think I can show here without any chance of causing damage." She continued, taking a serious stance and making me tense up a little.

"What?" I tried to stand up, to have her to back off from any chance of fighting and then…_ I saw her turn around and rush towards the staircase._

"Nigerundayo~!"

She vanished while going upstairs, but I was temporary frozen by the word I just heard leaving her lips.

I flinched, I pressed my back on the chair and…

_**WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!**_

* * *

**Fragment of a Broken Cycle: Secundus Adventus Apocalypsis**

Timeline: (Broken Trickster DxD)

The Trans-pacific flight was proceeding smoothly.

With my mind regaining lucidity, with my soul finally calmed and given new life, new** determination**, I was finally allowed to do something with my damaging existence.

It's been just hours since I defeated the task force sent to kill me, mere hours since I found out clarity over a lucky attempt against my life gone wrong. I now **knew why everything was familiar and why I 'looked like Lucifer'.**

A plan that was terribly efficient only in the infinity while failing in the present.

Everyone died, no one won and the endless cycle of pain continued without interruption.

The Ouroboros of Reality, something that defied mere comprehension and…

**And it wasn't alright!**

This is why an 'intervention' was needed, something to properly shatter the horrible loop and create a final time-based line.

But to achieve such a thing, he needed to… break some rules. Rules that were beyond any deities around.

Rules about space-time, rules about dimension.

Until now the timeline has been linear, never-changing just as planned by the forerunner of this devious plot, an atrocious and cruel being that will be dealt with in due time.

For now… I had some minor obstacles to take out of my way.

Magical clouds, powerful concentrations of magic and… a divine army standing between me and the gateway to success.

I could recognize the wrinkled face of Sun Wukong standing by Indra's side. The Hindu God of War was glaring my way, few meters away another familiar deity gracing me with a… sad frown.

Shiva looked younger than Indra, yet the power he had was much _much __**much! STRONGER!**_

It was chilling how a single entity could contain that raw power, a living testament that this was truly one of the top ten strongest gods of this dimension. Awing, shocking and… still disappointing.

Was this supposed to truly poise a threat? This was just a little stronger than what I 'faced' back in New York and… I blinked.

I registered something, my body being squished forcefully down onto… the ground?

Water had bent, blinding light consuming and burning but… doing little against me. I frowned, slowly standing up as I realized how… sluggish I was feeling.

My attention was suddenly taken by Shiva, the God of Destruction rushing through the light, his power flaring determinedly to try and stop me and… I felt pain.

The punch actually hurt, surprising me as I was sent careening away, the light following me during my flight and…

Oh.

I… I should have expected this trickery from Michael, that sneaky bastard was using Heaven's Secret Weapon against me.

The powerful beam should have erased a normal non-divine, corrupt monster like me but… I was just too strong and Michael wasn't God. The beam was rather shy and hardly made the difference as it only… weakened me for a while.

Yet it was still costing me previous time.

Quite the annoying trick if I have to be honest but… a very good plan that was proving to be terribly angering.

I could hardly move with the light hitting me, my sudden weakness offering a chance to actually stall me until other divine forces could reach and join the battle.

More people, meant more obstacles and… more obstacles was going to hurt him the worst.

Now, that wouldn't do, he was working with a limited timer and… it was time to make use of the infamous power of Lucifer.

**[RESET!]**

_**The Trans-pacific flight was proceeding smoothly… and I started to fly up above and ready to invade Heaven first.**_

I had the means to access the gates of the highest reign and breaching proved to be easy as eating cake. The guards were silly and inferior Angels that hardly put any resistance against me, rendering the invasion fairly quick.

Gabriel descended, other Seraphs joining. She was crying…

I could see memories from Azrael's perspective, the few times were the girl smiled widely and craved for brotherly affection. Lucifer… was a lucky bastard when he was in Heaven.

She has… _grown so much._

I paused just a moment, tears hindering my sight while I tried to find a way to get her out of the way without causing her death but… it was too late.

She spearheaded the assault, brandishing a mighty halberd that broke upon impact. The blonde didn't stop, she slammed her entire body, trying to cause a reaction and…

_I hugged her softly._

She stiffened at the action, stiffening and shivering at the contact and then… I whispered her.

"_My little Gabi, so… so much strong._" My hands rose to her cheeks, she looked… like back then.

I smiled, yet tears couldn't stop flooding.

**Crack!**

Her body fell graciously to the floor and I stopped for a few moments to mourn her passing.

_**She died protecting what she loved, a proud action her big brother would cherish her for, forever.**_

The only soul that would receive a merciful death in my warpath.

Heaven was swiftly decimated as I rushed through the meat-walls of minor Angels and crushed them without hesitation, my mind set to a goal beyond the fake lives in there. The Godly Army easily slain by the presence of something that domineered upon the end of Order, the finalization of Chaos and…

The manifestation of **Apocalypse **itself.

The First Heaven was… the quietest domain compared to the previous ones.

A place that looked like an… endless sky trapped in a large cage of mirrors. It was a strange sight but… it was also… A refreshing experience.

It saddened me that it had to perish along side the rest of the domains but… it had to happen.

The end had to come to this world so the chance of saving **everything **could be reachable.

Michael was there, his wings flickering between golden and dark, a clear sign that he was causing a sin right now and coming close to Fall from his divine state. A pity that someone this strong, this… merciful was turning because of me.

It was… painful,_** but there was no other way around this time. **_

"Y-You dare to show _his face, _desecrating even further his legacy." His shouts echoed strongly all over the First Heaven, causing me to blink in surprise and annoyance.

He was such a good person, his heart of iron in the rightful place but…

Sanity was declining for everyone nearby me. The more I wandered nearby, the more people would lose their capacity to think, to feel and… to act.

"There isn't much of a legacy to begin with." I admitted with an empty tone. "Except the fake existence we were bestowed by that ridiculous bastard's idea of salvation."

The eternal condemnation, the end of what was fine and rightful.

**The real sin of Lucifer.**

He attacked, Ascalon crackling in magical power and I felt some fear in dealing with the highly dangerous blade.

To think that it was this sword _and not the Longinus _that could actually kill me…

"You are an abomination!" He snarled fiercely. "A monster beyond humanity and morality-"

"Enough." I ordered with the sternest tone I could muster and...

Michael completely stopped moving, his eyes going wide open in shock and his lips letting out some drops of blood.

My arm had blurred, piercing the Archangel's armor and chest, bursting his ribcage and destroying some of his organs already.

It was over for him, there was never a chance.

**There isn't a chance for anybody in this world.**

My smile was a sad one. I wasn't enjoying any of this but… it had to happen for this nightmare to end.

_**We need to end this cycle!**_

The chained fate… it needed to be broken free from the whims of an old fool.

"M-May you be cursed eternally." The Regent of Heaven breathed raggedly, his blood already staining the limpid floor underneath us. He was close to his last breath, yet he looked as determined as when he started to fight.

It was over.

"I'm already cursed, _brother. _Cursed to live in a world of fake and absolute dishonesty." I sighed, calm swelling once more. "But my curse grants me a chance to avoid this from happening again. I will be the one to bring everlasting peace." I replied resolutely, trying to ignore the guilt increasing because of my new victims.

A difficult task, one that easily topped the end of Heaven and everything of similar magnitude.

_**But my sins will at least die with me. I will take them to my grave and… make them my coffin.**_

"A chance to save reality itself, to break away from a stupid cycle that left us restarting in an endless loop and..." I paused, my face losing the determined expression as a somber mask appeared. "_And you're already dead_."

Life was gone from the limp body that once was Michael's. I sighed, feeling disheartened by this development and… by what I had to do now to avoid any other dangerous threats between me and… **it.**

Placing the Archangel's corpse down, I proceeded to lift my fist up and felt warmth shifting all into the closed palm.

_Then I slammed it down on the mirror-like ground and the surface… broke_.

The glass-like texture broke instantly all around, but the purpose behind my attack… beyond mere destruction.

I felt light-weighted, oddly so, but the main purpose of this action was… complete.

_**Heaven was rumbling, its floating state,. granted by divine seals, shattered by the continent-busting attack as it started to free fall right… towards the Pacific Ocean.**_

The detachment of Hindu Gods stared in utter shock as the monumental size of land collapsed all towards them, some of their troops panicking and almost ready to break their ranks.

Yet one rose to the challenge and I waited for him.

**Shiva roared a battle-cry, crashing his mighty lance upon my chest and… getting instantly vaporized by the wave of heat I created.**

The rest of the deities tried to protect their armies and themselves but…

_**The Hindu Religion fell as the first 'defenders' of the Last Great War.**_

_**And now? Japan was just a few 'steps' away and… **_

_**I'm back Kuoh Town, my home, my prime sin and… my last stop before ending this madness **__**once and for all!**_

* * *

**AN**

**Some of the readers asks in my recent works why I sound this much… depressed.**

**It's not about RL, worry not! (LeSmile!) It's more that I've been reading some Marvel Dark-Themed comics. Marvel Zombie is coming back, ya fools and… I still have PTSD for what Sandman did.**

_**Future milestone 1: 870 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**NexusPrime42****: Nope! Same timeline, a very vicious cycle tho.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: Something far worse… :)**

**Br9k3n****: Who said it was oneshot? Two or three more glimpses and… then back to the 'main plot'? Who knows!**

**Obliumm****: That is sad.**

**Scumblenut****: Inspired to a certain point, but… things will get terribly worse than that story.**


	57. The Brakes are Broken!

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 56: The Brakes are Broken!**

* * *

Kunou was nervous.

It wasn't a novelty for the girl to be part of important meetings with people, nor was she inexperienced in social interactions, her inner issue stemming from the very annoying detail that interrupted the important discussion.

The arrival of the group led by Alucard and Julius Belmont was met with mostly positive reactions.

Akua did show tension at the appearance of both the son of Dracula and the current owner of the Vampire Killer, yet the worst of her quiet seething was directed at the young Belmont that walked beside the sole heiress to the Tepes Royal family.

Her Niichan told her about the frail mind Valerie Tepes was afflicted with after making multiple uses of her Sacred Gear, her consciousness growing fragmented but not completely lost after some time spent enduring the atrocious effects the Sephiroth Graal had over its user.

The young human staying protectively by her side appeared weak at a first glance, but Kunou was smarter than that.

His Magical Core was potent, not at the levels of the guardians that led them here with Alucard being the strongest but enough to make some differences.

There was a brief emotional moment between Gasper, the little vampire crying warm tears at seeing the only individual that showed care for him before he was taken in by the Gremory family.

Soon after some introductions were made by Azazel himself, presenting himself more like a mediator rather than a proper element of the following discussion.

The oldest Belmont was wary of the presence of so many supernatural beings, but also pleasantly surprised to see humans here too.

It was a curious integration that ended with the beginning of the reunion in a formal fashion.

Akeno joined in but kept quiet, taking a seat nearby the kitsune rather than near Hoitsu.

Speaking of the 'devil', her Niichan started the important meeting by bringing up the biggest problem the group was going to face.

Cao Cao was spotted near the territories owned by Indra, Azazel commenting how the leading man for the Hero Faction was trying to cut the ties he has with Rizevim before things escalated to an unpleasant degree for everyone.

Increased surveillance was guaranteed by Grigori, but trying to overstep within the holy grounds of the Hindu God of War wouldn't end up well for the diplomatic front.

The attack on Tokyo did cause several deities from various Pantheons to join in the larger alliance formed by the three grand factions of Christianity.

Shiva being the first to spearhead that moderate group within the Hindu Pantheon to properly pursue a close relationship with the growing coalition, causing no little frowns from the groups despising the Trimurti and making chances of finding some lasting peace after the end of the Khaos Brigade quite… bleak.

Turning to the other problem, with Rizevim facing a rebellious Hero Faction and Qlippoth having been weakened after what happened back in Tokyo, the Super-Devil was put in a very hard spot that was seriously going to impair is capacity to properly move around without getting his actions spied upon.

He was in a difficult predicament that left him without a strong army capable of keeping up with the one being created by the growing alliance against him.

No matter how strong he was compared to all of those present in their ranks, the presence of numerous people with a non-negligible power would be more than enough to put an end to his 'walk' around the world.

Thus the recruitment problem was going to influence the decisions of what was left of the Khaos Brigade, forcing the maniacal leader to take some extreme steps to ensure a continuation to his… survival.

Plans were presented regarding possible 'pools' of discontented people that wished to fight back the 'corrupt' system.

Plans that spanned all over the world as there were numerous places that had the group of people that could join without hesitation what was left of the Brigade, making their current work much more difficult than ever before.

That was something fairly simple for the blonde, something that would be logical for the old man to do and… yet the grinning fiend floating right above the table disproved any semblance of logical thought within the Lucifer's bizarre mind.

"Sorry for the sudden interruption but..." He sighed, ignoring that everyone was preparing to attack him any moment now. "Dad and I have to talk about private family things."

Kunou narrowed her eyes at the smug tone coming from such an impudent request. Her Niichan was already in his 'Senjutsu' mode and looked ready to jump in action any moment now.

Some other individuals joined the smiling Lucifer and soon there were more than enough to match the current strength of the Omega Initiative.

It was unexpected, so many people had already joined in with Qlippoth and they just managed to attack without notice once more.

The worst part was that… Kuoh Town did have some of the strongest barriers in Japan, second only to the ones in Kyoto and _once more those failed._

Nobody dared to make the first act in what looked like to be a serious brawl, there was just too much tension and… everyone looked angry at the characters that were allied to Rizevim.

Baki looked positively furious, his stance betraying a harsh reaction to the taller man with dark-red hair looking at him with a mirthful smile. It was the first time the blonde has ever seen the human brawler looking so much… murderous.

Mob's energy was flaring, matching up to the dark entity that glanced blankly at him, a ghost of a smile appeared what_ appeared to be_ a man with medium-sized hair and empty black eyes as the other two espers prepared to fight the being at all costs.

Akua's eyes were narrowed dangerously at the man that oddly resembled much Issa Shuzen, his power also matching to the character but… he seemed to be lacking something about him. Kahlua looked surprised but… also terrified, going so far to shiver at the sight of this unknown copycat as she was quite against fighting her relatives, even when this has to be… a faker.

Mio and Maria gasped together as they glanced in shock at the armored woman, hair and eyes red as Mio's, sporting a pair of horns in her unholy display of power. The blonde didn't need to check her energy to know that she was incredibly strong and Kunou could also see some resemblance between her, the younger redhead and the half-succubus.

In that state of turbulent calm, a single being stood out from the attackers, someone that looked oddly familiar to the Kitsune and… yet that couldn't be possible.

_Ophis was still sitting in her chair, looking quite confused herself at the little girl that had a striking resemblance with her._

Differently from the Infinity Dragon, this young girl was donning a somewhat less restrictive dress that still had the underlines of 'Gothic' that 'Phis' clothes were sporting. Her long hair were tied in a pony-tail and her face betrayed childishness and curiosity about the very predicament.

Pitch-black eyes that barely showed the slits she had as irises turned to Hoitsu and… a small smile formed on her face.

One step, then two, finally the girl started to walk calmly and giddily on the table, directed towards the confused young man. Rizevim showed no worry nor surprise at the scene, quite the contrary as some amusement twitched on his face.

Kunou was frowning, feeling like something was off about the girl and… it wasn't only her appearance. There was something, within her instincts, that urged her to stop the girl before she could fully reach Hoitsu.

It was in a fleeting moment that her ears caught the final and definitive sign, two words softly leaving the 'harmless' child's lips.

"My…_ Niichan._"

That was what Kunou needed to know that something was_ terribly going to go down _and… she jumped to action. Climbing the table, the Kitsune started to walk towards the mysterious girl and… then stopped the moment she was graced by the young brunette's attention.

The Ophis look-alike stopped the moment she felt someone approaching her, eyes going wide open as she caught the frame of the blonde and then… frowned at her.

"My Niichan." The dark-haired chibi stated resolutely, her energy flaring to an impressive level much to Kunou's chagrin.

"He is not yours." Was the strong reply from the blonde. Her power rose to catch up with this new enemy of hers.

The entire table started to shake as the two engaged in a silent challenge of glares.

"Hehehehe, to think that my little bodyguard would show her greed in such a fashion!" Rizevim cackled, entertained by the storm in the making. "Why don't we let the two decide who would win our little 'chit-chat'?"

…

"What?" Hoitsu stated in utter confusion, something that was shared by pretty much everybod… except for Yujiro. The Ogre nodded calmly, his eyes fixed on the two fighters and… snorting in amusement.

"Surely an interesting brawl." He glanced at his son. "Don't you think so, Baki?"

The younger Hanma didn't reply, his mood mixed between anger directed at his father and shock at the development unfolding in the meantime.

"S-Surely we have the upper hand in this situation, Lord Rize-"

"Euclid, I remind you that we _really_ aren't there to fight 'Daddy Dearest' over there." The man pointed at Hoitsu, the boy glaring back at the inappropriate nickname.

"Also, I think little Lilith needs to get some practical experience and prove her worth as a bodyguard." The Lucifer added nonchalantly.

"How did you manage to get Ophis' energy?" Azazel interjected with a serious tone. "I'm quite sure that there was no way in Tokyo for you to try that-"

"That's because it happened_ before_ 'Tokyo', Azzie." Rizevim interrupted with his usual smile. "Do you seriously think I would really risk in that situation? I_ might_ be crazy, but I ain't_ that crazy_."

"When." The goth girl herself demanded, causing the Super-Devil to sigh in annoyance.

"It was around when Shalba first mentioned the little plan he had for you, I decided to apply a limited version of it and make use of the candies you ingested on a daily basis to do the job."

He paused a moment, glancing at the two chibis ready any moments now to commence their fight and cracking a bigger smile at the scene.

"Processing the energy and making sure that your 'clone' wouldn't be as 'rebellious' as you are proved to be the easiest part. The fact she is greedy about anything that she likes makes her… malleable for normal orders."

"Yet she is… interested in me?" Hoitsu remarked with some confusion.

"A little trait coming from Ophis that was improved by… her greed." The man surprisingly facepalmed at that question. "That is why I decided that 'Lilith' was the proper name. I mean, I think the only one coming this close to affection in your regards was mother herself."

"_I'm not Lucifer_."

Rizevim blinked, then flashed a shit-eating grin. "Of course you are not. But do you seriously think I would ditch the opportunity because of it? You are the holy dump for all the jokes I want to give pops… while he isn't here."

Kunou wasn't interested in what was happening in the background as her attention was fully concentrated upon the irritated girl. Lilith huffed, rage swelling in her face as her cheeks turned red.

The goth girl rushed first to the close fight and the Kitsune was initially forced to take a more defensive stance while dodging the swift and powerful attacks from her opponent.

It took her just a few moments of dodging and deflecting the childish punches and kicks to understand how unprepared Lilith was for a brawl.

Raw power to the finest, enough to possibly overwhelm the blonde, but lacking any discipline and control.

Kunou's strikes were soft compared to her enemy's, but they were meant to accomplish something more than mere damage. Muscles were poked, probed and stressed.

Working in a very limited arena, the blonde had to mind her own restraints and make use of a subtler approach to obtain a clear victory.

Lilith didn't notice the quiet ruse, continuing with her usual pattern and getting even angrier when none of her attacks were getting close to land on the elusive Kitsune. Another huff, her eyes narrowing even more as she tried to increase her speed and…

Finally noticed that she was starting to get slower than before. The brunette wasn't feeling tired, far from it, and yet she was still… slowing down.

Confusion joined her fury as her eyes trailed a moment away from the blonde herself and wandered to the strange sensation spreading in her arms and legs.

It was… pain? Her endurance denied her a certainty and thus Lilith was unaware of what could truly be causing this sudden sluggish tone in her movements.

A blink, more energy filled her limbs and… she felt much better while her speed returned back to normal and started to increase even more than that.

Kunou huffed as she realized that her trick had failed against her opponent, her brief pout regarding to this development quickly replaced by a serious frown as she knew that with subtlety thrown out of the window she had to get some more space to think and act.

Surprise painted Lilith's face as a kick rushed and slammed onto her belly, sending her flying few meters away while the blonde gave chase, the Yokai's energy increasing once more and matching once more with hers.

How infuriating and… curious.

The brunette should have been enraged even more by this sudden strike and… yet there was something _dancing_ within her body. It was a warm emotion that… tickled her.

It spurned her to fight even more, to not back down as she was starting to have… _something._

Magic cackling by her fingertips, Kunou unleashed some intense Fox Fire and with it tried to create a small cage around the dark-haired girl.

Lilith blinked at the sudden wave of blue fire trying to stop her, rushing towards it and… slamming against it mightily.

The clash surprised the kitsune as the fire should have done some damage and… then she remembered that she was fighting a dragon and _those were resilient to Fox Fire._

With her second plan ruined, the blonde was now sure that her next attacks needed to be… _hurting a lot_.

The dark-haired chibi broke through the cage, blinking just a moment to regain sight over her opponent and… _panicked_ as Kunou started to run madly towards her, the speed displayed before her a major improvement compared to mere moments ago.

The elbow slamming harshly on her face was the first hit of many that would capitalize in her fatal shock. A flurry of kicks barraged Lilith, rendering her unable to properly counter what her enemy was trying to attempt against her.

The kicks were soon replaced by punches, fierce and furious as those landed mercilessly on the goth girl's face and then…

_A powerful punch drove deep in her stomach_.

Lilith trembled a little at the powerful strike, dropping to one knee while she tried to recover from the sudden beating. Yet, the moment she saw Kunou jump up above her, the girl knew that this wasn't over yet.

The blonde huffed while jumping, her hands brought close to her side and cupped in the fashion of a sphere as… _she started to chant._

"**KA...ME-**"

* * *

_She is going to do that._

_**Of all combos she could pull out from this situation… she has to go for that.**_

_I mean, it's not that bad-_

_**We are talking about one of the badassest combos in the Dragon Ball's universe.**_

_Then that's good? You don't sound angry and I do feel like this could actually work well._

"**HA...ME-**"

The chanting was almost done when I saw a blue orb form right withing Kunou's hands. Energy crackling within her palms, the girl was almost ready to unleash righteous fury upon Lilith.

"**HA!**"

The blast began powerfully descending upon the recovering dark-haired girl, eyes straight up as she stared in awe at the approaching beam of light and then-

**KA-Boom!**

The loud explosion and the following curtain of dark smoke hid from everyone's sight the results of the latest attempt from the Yokai and… then the blonde fell in the shadowy smoke.

Silence reigned for a while and I started to worry a little about what was going on over there.

Soon the smoke started to disappear and…

The scene that we were all presented with stuck odd after seeing such a complex and fierce fight.

Kunou looked sheepish as Lilith giddily had her hands in hers, eyes shining in child-like wonder while her legs jumped once or twice in a while.

"I-It's not my technique, it's Niichan." The dark-haired girl nodded at the explanation coming from the blonde, the question behind the reply possibly related to the energy wave the kitsune just used.

Lilith paused a moment to glance back at me and then… she turned back to the blonde.

"Niichan." She had one of her hands over her chest while the other pressed softly on Kunou's. "Ours?"

The girl blinked, golden eyes glinting amusement and… intrigue. She nodded. "Yes. Our Niichan, Lith."

And then the kitsune took the goth girl in a hug. Shock filled the dark-haired chibi one more, this time directed at the embrace and she seemed quite tense for a while.

Moments later, she _melted _in that hug and started to nuzzle close to the happy kitsune.

An adorable scene.

_**One that we will save in our memory forever.**_

_Like with the rest._

_**Like with the rest.**_

Soon the two broke the embrace, Lilith keeping latched at the 'older' girl's arms for a while as the two started to approach back to the table with a small smile plastered on their faces.

Kind of odd for Lilith, maybe it was because… she wasn't fully Ophis?

While she was made with the same energy and her appearance was similar, the girl didn't go through the experience of living in the Dimension Gap for several centuries.

They walked around the table and then reached for my seat, the blonde softly pushing the goth girl towards me with a teasing smile. "C'mon, you can ask now."

I blinked, Lilith blinking back as she took a step forward and… opened her arms wide. "Hug?"

_**GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!**_

'**We've been hit with what I can only assume to be… super-concentrated sugar?**'

_You fool! That is diabetic-level cuteness weaponized in a super-chibi!_

I smiled a little and nodded. "Sure."

She advanced and slowly sat on my lap. Head snuggling on my chest and enjoying my arms wrapping her close, Lilith closed her eyes and nodded. "Hug… nice."

I was partly distracted by the situation, by the extreme level of cute but someone else decided to intervene on the matter.

Julius Belmont lifted his hand up and spoke. "I don't think I should say this but… _what the heck just happened?!_"

"I lost my cute bodyguard, just the same way I lost my mother." Rizevim replied calmly. "It's always pops' fault somehow."

"I'm profoundly annoyed." I shot back at him. "Seriously couldn't you-"

"Hi 'Profoundly Annoyed', I'm son." The Super-Devil interjected mirthfully, the tasteless joke making me frown even harder at him. "C'mon, you have to feel something from it."

"If I was your father, I would have disowned you just because of that dad joke."

He actually flinched at the comeback, but the smile that followed hinted at no lasting damage upon him… much to my dismay.

"Anyway, since we got a chibi cat-fight done, I think we can all settle down and talk about the real issue that we have to face in those trying times-"

"I don't think I said that we were going to talk." I interrupted once more. "You are literally the only issue we have to deal."

"That's a false statement." Rizevim fired back. "There is also Cao Cao and the Longinus stuck in his ass."

I sighed. "Then, what threat are we supposed to be scared about, Rizevim. Let's stop for a moment with the chases, can we?"

He nodded, humming quietly before… "Azrael is not in Heaven."

… "He escaped recently but he was captured, what about-"

"He isn't in Heaven." The man pressed on, causing me to frown in confusion.

"He was sealed away with some seals Lucifer left behind-"

"Those works only on father." The man revealed tiredly. "It was a deterrent in case he went bat-shit crazy and someone had to stop him before the world was torched entirely. Azrael isn't certainly 'deterred' by the seals."

…

"You mean to say that, not only is Azrael isn't in Heaven but… he is the biggest threat?"

"Correct, Papy!" The Super-Devil continued with a big smile. "The danger he is putting the world onto is far beyond anything that anyone could ever imagine. Think of Deadpool, give him Galactus' powers and finally sprinkle him with the Infinity Gauntlet."

"_What he is trying to do, Rizevim!?_" I pressed on as I knew the usage of references wasn't completely a joke.

And then the bomb was dropped.

"He wants to bring him back." He said with a grave voice. "He already has his remains… it's only a matter of time before he finds his soul and… get him back at once."

"And… if he is back..." The man paused, his mood and face turning sour for a moment. "Then… _tabula rasa_."

* * *

**AN**

**I admit that Writers' block this strong I've never faced. I wasn't… feeling sick about it like the other times, but I had my attention taken by some silly stuff through the rest of the day.**

**I started at 5PM am finishing writing this that it's… 21:21. So yeah, I did four hours of utter clusterfuck to get this done.**

**There is a fight, Lilith is now in and Azrael's threat will be… multiple.**

_**Are you ready to face your worst fear-**_

**Wait no, Halloween is long over and…**

_**Then you all shall fear the Fear Turkey… and the one that screws it! (reference)**_

**P.S. The 'best' DBZ combo that Kunou literally rips off is Goku's Meteor Combination.**

**The villains displayed in order are: Yujiro Hanma (Baki's father), Mogami (Former Esper turned in Malignant Spirit- The only one Mob couldn't completely beat), Issa Shuzen (?) and Sapphire (Mio's and Maria's Aunt- and the MC's mom in the series they are from).**

_**Future milestone 1: 870 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Darkmaster10000000: There is a minor Undertale EE in a few chapters from now.**

**Scrumblenut: Interesting theory, let's just say that… it's close. It's not about time-traveling tho.**


	58. Intermezzo

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**WARNING: The 'Broken Trickster DxD' part in this chapter contain major characters' deaths. I am sorry that it's happening and… I can only say that it's just the other dimension, not the 'main' one.**

* * *

**Chapter 57: Intermezzo**

* * *

"Why are you here?"

Yujiro Hanma showed a toothy grin at his son, the question adding more to the amusement generated by this endearingly new situation that was granted by Rizevim.

The mad man might have appeared to him like a pathetic maggot, his physical strength well-hidden within his 'magical' potential, but then the Devil decided to bestow him with a new 'opportunity' to have some **fun.**

And with fellow strong monsters all with him? Why would Yujiro deny himself such a perfect way to return back to the scene?

The world had long grown dull and stagnated, only a handful of fighters managed to gain part of his interest nowadays and… the Ogre was terribly bored.

With the early retirement, he had hoped to gain some… clarity over a life without fighting.

Yet… that was laughable at best. A childish notion that entertained his mind just moments after drawing with Baki, a notion that was urged by the lack of serious competition after his son's attempt.

There were no humans that could compare to him, nobody that could give him the bliss of massacre once more with his bare hands.

Thus the most annoying period of his life began.

A life where 'serious' challenges were put off as he tried to break away from the lifestyle he was born into. **The life of a monster among men.**

Nothing satisfied him, nothing gave him the same thrill only battles could and… he started to grow restless.

Training hardly satisfied. The wood cracked, the iron broke and the steel bent without hesitation, rendering any attempt to recreate a proper warrior to train against quite hopeless.

Yujiro was a man of action, a man that needed to 'pressure' a little his hands, his legs, his feet, _his fist._

He was born to fight, he was groomed to fight, _he was bathed by the fight itself._

"This… is a funny place." The Ogre finally replied with a calm tone, his attention mostly taken by the immensity that was this massive, 'new' world all around him.

Who would have thought that mythological beasts and monsters were a real thing? That there were beings that went beyond the limits imposed upon humans and turned into impossible individuals.

And so the Hanma Patriarch felt… giddy about it. To be granted new challenges worth of his attention, to be lured in this mighty path and…

His son was also there and he looked much stronger than their last encounter.

What could a father and a warrior ask more from life?

"I heard that your woman and her mother survived what happened in Tokyo." Yujiro finally commented, his words lingering for a while before he continued. "I'm glad."

A scowl was restrained in Baki's face, denying him the same laid-back nature the brat had developed in the last few years. A proper man of battle, someone capable of becoming his true replacement when the world would demand a new 'Strongest Man' to fill up after his death.

Words were also being kept inside within the boy's lips, an attempt to deny a note of defiance… while giving a silent one instead.

Slightly infuriating in a normal circumstance, but the situation was far from normal.

A threat, a fish bigger than anything Yujiro could ever try to match in terms of power. Death was a natural element for men, an unknown factor that none could challenge nor avoid as it loomed over all of them.

Yet Azrael wasn't Death Itself, but rather a harbinger of the dreadful demise of all. He was tangible, beatable to a certain point and something that gave hope to the two leaders of the groups.

Hoitsu… He could see why his son would follow him, why he would swear fealty to this individual.

The boy, his age close to Baki's, _ruled_ his posture in a charming but authoritarian tone, something that would technically enrage the old Hanma as it would make him a primal opponent… but he didn't attack nor planned to.

There was no arrogance in his posture, only appropriate confidence.

It sent him chills down his spine, matching sight with the young man. The raw power hidden behind those eyes… it was exciting as unnerving.

His blood was boiling in intrigue, _begging _for some real challenge and… Yujiro restrained himself just this time.

While he would have indulged in his usual needs, the predicament would hardly favor him for several instances, mostly because people could have mistaken his 'craving' as something a little more 'planned'.

Something that could be 'forgiven' to a certain extent, but fighting people that could easily break him apart? He had to train harder from now on and... maybe the presence of Baki would put an end to this minor torture he was dealing with.

The Ogre just needed to wait and then, maybe, he could have the brat fighting against him.

Not a serious fight, they were no longer determined to either preserve or deny the title of 'Strongest Man', but rather a Father-Son spar.

His grin widened, causing the young Hanma to tense at the sudden change of expression, no matter how small it might have been for many.

"You got yourself some interesting friends too." The older Hanma commented once more, this time his grin turning in a small smile as he glanced around the table, causing some to shiver in response.

"Yes. Those are my friends." Baki replied with the same calm tone, reminding the parent that his child was indeed protective of his 'friends'.

Yujiro's eyes were once more on him, delighted by the snappy comeback. "Oh? And did you have fun?"

"Plenty." The dry response, meant to be perceived as a slap was taken with a mirthful stride. It was just like back then when they last fought and… his entire body itched for a fight after so long!

"That's good to know."

This sure looked to become a very… _amusing predicament for sure._

* * *

Kahlua ignored glancing at her father, Issa looking as calm as he would usually appear as he matched glares with her other daughter.

Akua was confused and her confusion was quickly turned in anger at the prospect that the only parent she was left with would now betray them… like Gyokuro.

It's been a month now since they had to deal with a traitorous mother, the oldest daughter was rightfully concerned about her sister's state of mind at this predicament.

Father should have been back home to deal with the pretenders and with the men that once worked with Fairy Tale and the woman that tried and failed to become her mother.

Only an individual could be considered as such, someone that had the most of her respect even beyond death and that Akua hoped had found some happiness on the other side.

"You shouldn't be here, father," She finally pointed out, her tone painfully cold. A strange reaction, having been at ease for so long has left her unable to properly face these tense situations with the same cool mind as just the previous month.

Was she getting too soft? Should she request from Hoitsu some time to spend alone to hone her personality back to an acceptable level? Would it even be alright by the young man's standards?

"In a normal scenario, no. I shouldn't have been here." The Vampire patriarch agreed, showing some strange hesitation to continue to answer. "But something incredibly dangerous has just risen from the grave and… we all need to cooperate right now." He admitted, letting out a tired sight.

The Black Deva was surprised by the bluntness of her father's voice, intrigued by what could have motivated the man to pursue an alliance with Rizevim of all people.

"Why?" She pressed on, her lips dripping some of the curiosity in her words much to her dismay and Issa's surprise.

"There is a… terrible threat preparing to strike." The Shuzen confided quietly, blinking for a moment and then he continued. "A threat more dangerous than Alucard and his subjects. Something… older and far more sinister that could seriously destroy everything."

The girl blinked, trying to make sense of the cryptic tone her father had now adopted, more similar to his usual self. "Is that the angel? Azrael-"

"Azrael is but the emissary of something worse." He interrupted with a strong voice. "Lucifer might be a name feared for apparently no reason, but it was his unique power and last prophecy that got every being from Hell, Heaven, and Earth to be wary of this figure."

"A… A prophecy?" Kahlua finally spoke, seemingly recovering from the shock.

The blonde had long started to gain control over her emotions and while the current results were good to know about, the possibility of having her face another frenzy was…

Unacceptable.

"It is considered a prophecy by those that survived the conflict but it's more known as a 'promise' from the first Devil before he perished in the Great War, a promise made by spite and absolute domination," Issa replied, not even bothering hiding his little fear at what was going on.

A prophecy? There were numerous kinds of prophecies and… this one mattered the most?

Why would Azrael even want to have Lucifer reborn? Wasn't the Devil representing the very semblance of Rebellion against Heaven?

"There is more..." The dark-haired girl deduced. "Father, we have to know-"

"And I will be happy to give you more information." The man interrupted once more, a small smile plastered on his face. "I had long thought about bringing Moka and the others to this… situation, but I decided against it because I knew that they would have gotten endangered and after what happened back with Alucard… we can't risk their lives."

The former nodded at the decision, approving the line of thought and exposing the idea behind it.

If the rest of the family was to join, then so would the friends her sisters gained over their time at the Yokai Gakuen, further bringing inexperienced or weak elements that could be either hurt or killed.

And that regret wasn't something that the oldest of the Shuzen siblings could truly accept to herself.

Moka and the rest of her sisters were enjoying peace after so much time of tension and dangers, it was time to… make Akashiya proud after her last disappearance.

A promise of keeping all of them safe, to never let any threat ever come close to them and…

Akua was the oldest sibling and thus… she was to shoulder the proper burdens to protect her family.

It was her duty, it was her honor and… it was her wish!

A wish that was blessed by her very soul, something that could make up for the horrible deeds she committed against Moka and Kokoa.

A nod came from Kahlua, surprising the other two vampires.

"I'm going to… redeem myself after what happened back with t-that man." The girl muttered, eyes steeling in a strong glance. "I'm going to help."

"It will be a dangerous path-" Issa tried to warn his child, but the girl wasn't done yet.

"T-That I want to walk willingly, Papa." She interrupted with a sterner tone, eyes twitching in annoyance. "Akua-nee, Hoitsu, Kunou, Koneko and… the others! They all were there to help the poor people in Tokyo and… and I did so little."

She closed her eyes, tears flooding for a moment while a sob escaped her lips. "I want to fight, I want to protect them. I want to protect everyone…_ e-even if I have to kill Azrael with my bare-hands_!"

* * *

Mob's eyes were fixed on the clear form of one Keiji Mogami.

The man's body looked… tangible. It certainly didn't seem the confusing mess of shadows that he had to face when the spirit had tried to steal Minori Asajiri's body and… commit murders.

A powerful Esper before dying, Mogami was the sole being that managed to survive the full wrath of the '?' Form, close to matching it before he got blasted away from both Mob's and Minori's mindscapes.

He looked… normal. A plain-looking dark-haired man with untreated face-hair and a tired look in his eyes… yet he looked almost happy to be there.

An odd sight for sure.

"Mob-kun, do you know him?" Teru was the first one that asked about the figure, possibly recognizing the hidden power inside the man but failing to recognize him.

**15%**

Only Dimple and Shigeo within the group knew about Mogami, maybe also Shu but the boy seemed to be mostly… tense. The orange-haired youth was boring his eyes onto the older Esper, trying to understand the limits of his powers as… he felt as strong, if not stronger than his father.

"I think you wish to understand why I'm here, Shigeo-kun." The Esper mused quietly, staring at the ceiling. "And I will be quite honest and say that it has to do with someone that could erase everything with a mere snap of fingers."

_S-So blunt, _the boy thought quietly as his eyes widened just a little. There was someone that strong? A-And everything? Did it mean that his parents, Ritsu, sensei, and the others were all going to die?

**27%**

"And I would ask that you restrain yourself right now, just as everyone else is doing while our leaders speak." The man continued to talk, pointing out the fact the teen was starting to feel… nervous. "I understand your shock and your worries, but if you cause any situation here, the threat could hardly be beaten. We need everyone in this large group to join up against Azrael."

**30%**

_An improvement, the increase has slowed down a little_. Mogami carefully noticed, trying to mask his features to not reveal his intrigue and interest in being given a second chance to live.

While as a malignant spirit he could invade strong being's consciousnesses, the extreme limitation that was placed on his powers rendered him unable to properly fight material beings in a normal instance.

When Rizevim approached him, trying to recruit him in that ridiculous group of his, part of him wanted to shred the bastard for even trying to annoy him with this crap.

'The world could end because of some 'Lucifer' dude trying to reset it altogether'? What a bunch of silly notions!

He did try to probe and invade the Devil's mind, curious about the man's mental defenses and…

_Mogami was let in._ A normal host wouldn't normally be able to properly pull a spirit within their mind and the sight he was gifted with was the worst thing he had ever seen.

An endless cycle. There was an endless cycle that ensured the continuation of life at the cost of proliferating hate and other negative emotions within the timeline.

Concepts that weren't known to the spirit started to flood his mind and soon he was given a clear sight of what was going to happen if Lucifer was given the chance of being resurrected.

A full reboot. No more life and the complete erasure of the entire dimension.

Tabula Rasa, the nothingness devouring what was still alive in the discarded timeline.

The recently-gained interest in keeping humanity safe where he could was what got Mogami to truly trust the smiling Devil and he was suddenly rewarded with a real rebirth.

His body was slightly stronger, the devilish side of his new material presence also reinforcing his psychic powers to a degree that got him… to an equal level of the youth before him.

Mob had grown too, his powers increasing once more and… he was impressed by the progress made after so much time had passed since he had last seen the boy.

The shy teen seemed to have some more control over his potential, something that helped in avoiding explosive escalations in situations like this one.

Diplomacy was important in this particular case and Shigeo knew better than attacking first. Something that also helped the man in deciding how to interact with the very inspiration that rekindled his neutrality regarding mankind.

"Alas, I think I have to say something important..." Mogami commented dully, before slowly bowing towards Mob. "I think I've to apologize for having harmed you and your friend back then, Shigeo-kun."

The boy blinked surprised plastered on his face as the man appeared quite… genuine.

**31%**

"He… he is not a spirit anymore, Mob-kun." Dimple pointed out, breaking away from his cowering state as he finally realized that the former enemy wasn't seeking to inflict them any pain.

But how could one stop being a spirit? There was only death after abandoning that meta-physical state.

Yet Mogami's hand was now ruffling his hair, causing his eyes to widen even more.

"You know, you are indeed glowing when you are flaring your power." The man mused quietly, sporting a small smile. "Just like Lilith said… you do have some pretty lights."

Pretty lights?

Shigeo's mind was quickly reminded of the fact it was Ophis that began calling like that.

A little blush spread on his face and…

**29%**

He tried to regain some more control. Hoitsu-senpai had told him about the importance of those talks and thus… he will do that for the order. N-Nothing else.

Meanwhile, the man noticed the embarrassment-induced red tint in the boy's cheek and he remembered that the young Esper did have a love interest back when he first fought him… but she was nowhere nearby.

Could it be that… the boy got a new love interest?

Who could it be and… why did it happen at the mentioning of 'Pretty Lights'?

* * *

**Fragment of a Broken Cycle: Tertium Adventus Apocalypsis**

**Timeline: (Broken Trickster DxD)**

* * *

Kuoh Town was a… desolate city.

Gone was the noises of people living happily all around, the mirthful presence of children either walking to school and playing by the local park, the cars moving through the streets…

It was an empty wasteland abandoned by those that survived that infamous day, one that now sported a… large crater were once was Kuoh Academy and the nearby city block.

Memories of the aftermath of that disaster flashed momentarily, dragging me to a stop as I decided to walk around rather than flying.

I didn't need to get the attention of those monitoring the area, lest they would get some more fodders to increase my inglorious kill streak.

And albeit my main objective was hell itself, I still had to find something incredibly important before leaving, an object that was entrusted to me days after my… first mission.

**It was important, it couldn't be lost.**

Wandering through the ghost town was the best way to remind me of the peaceful sight it once had before I _unleashed it._

I should have been more careful- **but it also rekindled the hope of breaking through the monotonous cycle of hatred Azrael perpetrated with Lucifer.**

Horrible deeds, so horrible that I could see _them _walking around. Students, I could remember every face. I blamed Azrael's soul cursing me with the perfect images of the people I had killed in that awakening.

**I should have been more careful- **_** but now the strings were cut and the chance of a new path was bestowed to me!**_

I managed to reach back where I once lived, the mansion looking as abandoned as were the other houses around the district… but my keen eyes were quick to pick up the numerous powerful magical traps set all around the perimeter of the building.

A minor annoyance as those traps were of the explosive kind and thus some quick athletic actions were required from my part to avoid being blown to smithereens. I wriggled my way through the small courtyard, stopping a moment to deal with a nasty complex seal that secured the entire door.

Breaking it took me a few minutes, but I managed to get in safely and… I was greeted with a silent and dark lounge.

Memories hit the strongest the moment I took the first step in that creaky wooden floor. My eyes twitched as tears swelled up forcing me to stop a moment to regain some control over myself.

**I-I can't stop.**

I nodded and slowly took another step before-

Something hit me on the back, I tried to turn around with my eyes wide open and trying to catch my aggressor and… I saw green hair before I was forced unconscious.

* * *

_Issei had looked nervous, _I knew that something was off about today.

I could feel Rias' energy reacting negatively with… some unknown patterns.

Two strong ones, maybe those were Grayfia and Sirzechs?

No, it was too early for them to appear. I might have been detached from the school's life quite recently, but I knew that it was too early for Raiser to do a move now of all times.

It was someone else, my instincts screaming for me to push the pace up and see what was going on.

I was feeling like crap after two full days spent mourning, spent resting and trying to get myself up.

Something rumbled within myself, tuned with my anger, but I was sure it was my Magic reacting strongly to my emotional distress.

I-I could have saved them- To think that the Khaos Brigade could move that quickly to-

N-No, I had to focus on the present right now.

I reached Kuoh Academy, my sensor ability pinpointing the two energies staying by the roof and, knowing that time was essential, I decided to make use of the Silver Lining and climb the wall.

Easier said than done, the task ended up leaving me with aching shoulders as my strength was… missing.

I jumped over the small metallic gates that covered the roof and landed calmly while trying to figure out what was going on.

Eyes going wide suddenly, I barely dodged an electrical attack from… _Yubelluna?_

The queen of the Phenex bastard frowned at my quick dodge, surprised by my reflexed and…

I saw Diodora. The Asmodeus was staring at Asia's face until I showed up, a small _pout _adorning his face as I prepared to the worst day of my life.

How did Raiser get Asia? How did he-

My blood turned cold as I finally got a full sight over the roof, panic subsiding just a moment as I found myself staring at…

_Rias, Akeno, Kiba and… Koneko._

My stance faltered just a moment at seeing the silver-haired girl, the Rook flinching at my hurt look but not daring to meet my stare.

This was my only mistake.

_I gasped as a fist slammed through my stomach, my eyes turning to the smiling bastard and… I felt a coppery taste filling my mouth._

"To think I would find a stray magician and… such a familiar one too." He tilted his head, showing morbid amusement at my suffering. "Using that string spell, am I talking to the trash that condemned Tokyo?"

M-Motherfucker!

Anger continued to swell even more at the pain, at the sense of betrayal, at the panicked look on Asia's face and… _I saw a silver blur-_

**That was stabbed by one of Diodora's Knights.**

Koneko's eyes went wide in sudden shock at the pain, the sword stabbing through her upper chest and… she fell on the ground, starting to bleed profusely. She didn't get up, _she didn't get up._

"Oh ho~? Another child falling victim of the cursed magician?" The Asmodeus commented mirthfully. "One could say that your life is indeed tragic. To lose everything so quickly."

A laugh followed after that, one that struck all the sane chords I had left in my poor tired soul.

I felt something **snap viciously and soon… I had 'clarity'.**

The laugh was interrupted by a gasp from the Devil, backing away from me as he stared at his hands… now missing two fingers.

I **crunched hard** and I felt energy increase within my body, my core close to exploding in raw power as I noticed every single member of Diodora's peerage…

_**But those weren't important.**_

I slowly limped towards the bleeding girl and crouched beside her, turning her around and giving myself a full sight over the wound.

The blood… it was dark-purplish. Poison.

"S-Senpai-"

"Don't **speak, Ko-chan**." I tried to apply basic healing spells on the wound, trying to get it to close and to purge the poisonous content out of her body.

"I-I'm sorry- I sh-shouldn't have."

"**It's not **your time, Ko-chan, j-just hold on." Her hands grasped at mine, pulling them away from her chest and stopping the spells.

"Y-You were the- the best." She coughed blood, her hold weakening and then… her eyes lost focus. Her hands fell lifeless out of mine and I felt an icy storm brew in my chest.

**NONONONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOO!**

I felt both Diodora's and Raiser's Knights rushing behind me, ready to hit me but…

_It was too late for them all. There wouldn't have been mercy __**for no one.**_

I swung around with my arm slamming onto all of them, energy coating the limb as it cut through blades and flesh. The Knights were all cleaved in half, shock painted in Raiser's members while Diodora's sported only mild-surprise.

_**How pitiful…**_

The rest of the two peerages jumped in action, all failing to even come close to kill me.

Burned, cut, shattered and broken. There was no hesitation as I felt like I was hit blank dummies, my morality completely **gone** as I continued to massacre the helpless fools.

**So pathetic!**

Finally, the group was reduced to a scared Diodora, Raiser, Asia, Rias, and Akeno.

Both Devil girls looked absolutely terrified, while a horrified look was stuck in the blonde's face.

"H-Hoitsu?"

_I blinked back to reality as I discovered the murder in the making. _My hands were covered in blood that wasn't mine.

I blinked again, this time focusing on Asia and… nodded. "P-Phenex, release the girl. NOW!"

Raiser was pale, not only was his peerage was dead… but _I-I killed Ravel too._

The once-arrogant bastard nodded shakily, letting go of the human girl and… I started to fight back the impulse of continuing the rampage.

**Koneko is dead.**

_B-But Asia-_

**Like it happened to Kunou.**

_I- I can't-_

_**Are you going to let the monsters go away to sow more deaths?**_

"H-Hoitsu-nii, l-let me help." The former nun crouched down to help me.

I was… on my knees? Wh-When did it happen?

I could feel Twilight Healing, the effects pushing away the demonic presence drilling inside of me, painfully trying to break free from my control and…

_A moment I was staring at a pair of cerulean eyes… and then she fell on the floor as a lance had pierced through her thighs._

I stood quiet, eyes fixed on Asia's corpse as she softly lulled away from life itself, away from the pain that afflicted her.

Heaven was her best bet. She was too kind to not have that…

"S-She is mine! MINE! You can't just take he-"

Diodora couldn't finish the sentence, his head rolling off his head without hesitation as I felt the dam _shattering without mercy._

"**Why- Why everything here has to die… like this? Why when I try to make things better, I get this shitty outcome. Why are you even here, you fucking bastard?! WHY DID YOU TWO HELP KONEKO!?**"

Rias didn't reply, a red sphere manifesting in her palms as I narrowed my unholy sight over her.

"**Death is your sweet wish? FINE BY ME!**"

The Power of Destruction tried to reach for me, the aim was a bit off but it would have been quick and accurate enough to kill me…

**In a normal situation.**

Instead of letting the energy hit me, I decided to grace it with my own.

**The anger that until now had been growing and growing… finally peaked, the zenith flashing brightly as I felt a powerful release.**

_**KA-BOOM!**_

I was blinded by the light, but the explosion was powerful enough to rip apart the entire school, destroy the nearby district and…

I **roared hungrily and painfully.**

_**I AM FREE!**_

* * *

"So that is… why you became like this?" Ajuka asked softly, my fist having gone through his abdomen as the Satan tried and failed to pull away.

I blinked, shocked at what has just happened and… by how things had turned out while I was 'distracted'.

"W-What- WHY?!"

The green-haired Devil coughed. "I… I needed to know." He replied tiredly. "T-There was something that was missing- something was off from Sirzechs' words and… now I know why."

He chuckled, stopping mere instants after initiating that action to cough again. "Y-You were- You **are** the victim."

I blinked, keeping quiet as the man continued to speak.

"You- You plan to storm Hell… Y-you want to get to **it**, aren't you?"

My eyes widened a bit and I nodded slowly. "It's the only way-"

"To save _everything_." He sighed, tiredly after interrupting me. "To think that… we were stuck in that loop… for Gods' know how much…"

His hands moved to drop two small objects in my free palm. "O-One is the seal to reach t-the Underworld. The other i-is what you wanted in this house… I think."

I blinked, glancing at the two objects. One was a piece of paper with a complex magical rune and the other was… _a red-tinted lucky charm._

I stared a little longer at the small object.

***The legacy of a mother and a daughter.**

My attention shifted moments later as I heard a loud **thud** surprising me as… I found the Beelzebub now fallen on the floor, his body… lifeless as blood continued to spurt out of his large wound.

I closed my palm, squeezing comfortably both objects. A large green-colored magical seal appeared underneath me and I was teleported away from my house, away from the insanity that has just happened.

Blinking, I frowned at the massive gates before me.

It was… Hell. It was closed off, guards patrolling around while flying and failing to take notice of me.

My eyes were fixed on the gates as I walked towards them, my mind sticking to a simple but important thought.

**Time for a break-in… and let us end this story once and for all.**

* * *

**AN**

**I had to write the death of four of the characters I love the most from this show…**

**I am sad but also… happy for what I got out of it.**

**I wanted to have BT!Hoitsu to have some real reasons, this timeline being the cruelest of them all.**

**The Lucky Charm will have an important role when he will reappear after the last bit of Fragment of a Broken Past.**

**See? Fluff and Drama, I can… do both.**

**Lastly, if you reckon, I didn't put Sapphire and the 'Castlevania crew' input. That is going to happen next chapter.**

**EDIT: Yesterday I forgot to check for grammar errors and I decided to see how things were- let's just say that now there should be less... problems reading this chapter.**

_**Future milestone 1: 900 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Arclight001****: I think, including Maria (I don't know if that would be wise of me tho), there are now Four Chibis.**

**XxxxxadisxxxXX****: The sad thing of this review is that the specific chapter was done with Grammarly, so yes, I think I am not the one wrong here, bud.**

**Darkmaster10000000****: I bet this whole chapter was scarier than that.**

**Scrumblenut****: There is a genuine threat within the real world, a 'canon' one and… then there is a train-wreck coming in hot!**

**SoSlimShady****: If you kept reading for a while, you would have learned that I stopped with the X-overs. Too bad, I guess.**


	59. Family-made Truce

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 58: Family-made Truce**

* * *

This shouldn't have been happened.

The fact that Rizevim was there, playing around with a blasted pen of all things was enough to make me question my capacity to react properly at determined situations.

It wasn't a stretch to say that of the people I would kill, the smug bastard topped many scumbags of this universe. The pure shit-lord that thrived in the chaos of many, gleeful of bringing disorder in simple predicaments and that seemed so eager to give up power for the sake of fun.

It was my worst nightmare and the close-up I was getting of his personality? A confirmation of what I've seen in Tokyo.

Seriously, why the fuck I had to deal with this jerk now of all the situations I could have dealt with him… without being threatened at gun-point.

"You know, pops?" The man started dully. "It's kind of fun how certain people can't actually read the fine lines of a text, going angry and becoming the worst case of entitlement one has ever seen."

I blinked, feeling oddly intrigued by that senseless remark. "What are you talking about?"

"The fine lines, what the writer of a paper, a book or a contract writes to make sure to advise people from possible situations. Some use it to scam, some use it to warn those that reads it." The Super-Devil mirthfully explained, eyes staring right **at the ceiling**. "It's also fun how people get uppity when they get their cradle rocked too hard for their tastes-"

"Is this going somewhere or-" Azazel tried to intercede, causing the silver-haired man to sigh once more.

"It's more of a special case happening to someone." He winked right at the Governor-General.

What… just happened here? What is going on?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I reiterated my question, causing Rizevim to show now a sheepish expression.

"Nuthin' strange. Just trying to pull some Deadpool thingy here, something real pops said was… like breaking a wall?"

_**Oh for fuck's sake- of course he would- Nevermind, I am not going to entertain the man any longer-**_

_What is going on?_

_**C'mon! Deadpool? There isn't a 'fourth wall' in this scenario and yet he has to joke around about it.**_

_I mean, we are supposed to be chatting about Lucifer but-_

_**No buts! Return to the real discussion or he would get what he want, buying more time for… something.**_

_You think he is-_

_**Focus on talking, 'thinking' later.**_

"Rizevim, this isn't the time nor the place for this." I chided calmly, causing the Super-Devil to twitch at having his name mentioned. "What is this about Azrael and Lucifer trying to end the world?"

"Not the world! Something a little bigger. A little more... complete."

"And that is-"

"A whole dimension." The man replied finally, grinning eye to eye. "When the 'first' reset happened to you, do you seriously think that it was only Earth that was killed? The whole galaxy, the universe and… the entirety of everything."

"That's preposterous!" Azazel butted in. "I know that Lucifer' Reset was powerful but… to that extent? Why didn't God do anything about-"

"Do you think He didn't try something like that?" Rizevim questioned placidly. "Big G tried to submit Lucifer to Himself by offering him a place to Heaven."

"And he accepted. So does that mean-" I tried to intercede, only to be interrupted by the man once more.

"He didn't accept the first time." There was a brief pause, then he continued. "God was scared of the newcomer, someone that was beyond stronger than Him was walking on Earth and He couldn't do much against him."

"But then why did he accept if he was that strong and powerful?" Azazel asked, not remembering any of that.

"Because order was a prime priority for daddy dearest, always trying to uphold a sense of justice and duty towards the weaker people." He chuckled, some notes striking sad. "To think he was betrayed by the very ideals that drove him to create Heaven-"

"I think you are mistaking the origins of Heaven. It was God that-"

"Wanted a Kingdom for himself." Rizevim seemed giddy of having the chance of interrupting so frequently much to our annoyance. "A place that could function only with Him around. But _**Heliel**_ was quite irked by this 'moronic decision', forcing Big G to accept several changes within Heaven before… Angels appeared."

"You mean that-" I mused calmly, now ignoring the interruption that followed.

"Heaven was improved, the flaws fixed and the cadres of Angels expanded. Dividing Angels from the souls of the dead people? Pops' idea and one that avoided the risk of people Falling much earlier than how it happened to Azzie there."

_That is… a lot to take._

_**The story is complex, very… interesting but I think there is something missing. Why did Luficer accept the offer?**_

'**I think it would be good to know also why he would join God if he was stronger than Him**.'

"But the funniest bit is what truly bought father… and that was a favor from God himself." He added with a grin.

… "A favor from God? Why would he-"

"At first I was confused myself, _dad_, but then I learned about the truth… and do you want to know when this favor was used?"

He was bringing some… interesting bits to the table, so I nodded.

"It was mother." The answer was… partly unexpected. "Mother dearest was but a reject of God's attempt to give a subservient mate to Adam, meant to be forgotten and turned into something different than a woman as to avoid any 'revenge' on him."

"But he saved her and took her to Heaven." I continued, feeling like_ I have heard of this before…_

Azazel frowned at me, clearly surprised at the correct guess if the sudden amusement exuding from Rizevim was to be taken into account.

"Indeed! Big G never forgave Heliel for that, going as far as to put indirect obstacles in his projects."

"Then how did Lucifer fell? How did he lose his Reset Ability-"

"What an impertinent 'brat' you are, Azzie! Remind me of some people unable to read fine lines-"

"How." I pressed on, halting the Super-Devil in his words, causing him to pout and… sigh.

"_Fine-_ It has to do with the fact God discovered what fueled dad and managed to_ seal it under thousands of powerful seals._"

… "You are kidding me-"

"I ain't!" Rizevim stated happily. "Trihexa_ was_ what gave father's the capacity of making use of the Reset."

"Is that a… requirement or-"

"Enough!" Azazel slammed his fists on the table. "This is clearly some complex crap the bastard is coming up with- There is no way God would have accepted someone stronger than him and-"

"That is actually true, Azazel." A feminine and sensual voice spoke, causing the Governor-General to stop with eyes wide open as he recognized the being that owned this voice.

I admit… that I've never read much of the Shinmai Maou Manga, but I recognized an important figure as the mother of the protagonist. Sapphire was… Mio's aunt and…

_**Wait, if she is Rizevim's sister then-**_

"And I can finally see personally about this look-alike of father and..." I turned just in time to see a pair of red eyes carefully studying my own orbs, my body ready to jump away at the sudden closeness.

Adding to the fact the woman was _drop-dead gorgeous and sexy_ with her curves accentuated by her… peculiar armor, and I think everyone can see why an unexpected close-up could make people… panic for a moment.

_**Before being mesmerized by her beauty.**_

"You do look terribly like him." The smile… it looked familiar. She was very similar to Mio, her face sporting just more maturity and experience. It wasn't that she was 'old', but that her prime was there for people to see differently from Mio's incomplete growth.

One could wonder about… how everyone would look in the future.

I had a distinct idea about Gasper and his possible masculine awakening in a few years, maybe see Kunou and Koneko becoming stronger and smart enough to deal with opponents on their own without the presence of someone.

I was quite… uncertain about the others as for some I knew little would have changed. Akeno was meant to become even more beautiful, same for Akua, Mio, Kuroka, and Mio.

Maria was an odd case as her mother did keep her appearance youthful… hopefully nothing terrifying would happen by that point…

"You are thinking about your friends and family, aren't you?" The woman commented mirthfully. "It's all in your eyes… just like father used to do-"

"Look, if you are trying to interrupt my epic story with the intent of _helping me_, dearest sister, you could also _return to the plot!_"

She sighed tiredly. "I suppose this little digression could be moved for a while as we finish your pathetically-developed tale."

The Super-Devil huffed, crossing his arms close to his chest and muttering just a simple word. "Bitch."

The woman smiled smugly and nodded. "As I was saying before, my foolish sibling _is _telling the truth about father's recollection as the evidence is a book Wilbert was keeping a secret from all of us."

"A journal of things that Father did in the various loops, writing down the mainline of the situation while also describing some minor anomalies along the way." Rizevim continued, this time looking fairly annoyed by Sapphire. "And I think our current predicament offer us the best opportunity to really end the reboot as… there are two major anomalies that happened in this universe:"

He pointed his finger at me. "You didn't manifest any strange powers that could remind of Trihexa and… I think you know something about it?"

I blinked, remembering **exactly **about what he was alluding to.

_**To think that it wasn't just an issue caused by our unique situation… So my theory was wrong all along, Trihexa did came from… something else…**_

_But why did it originate in us? Why another copy was forming within us?!_

_**Difficult to say, I guess that it was something about… **_

'**Souls.**'

_...What did you say?_

'**Some Dragons are capable of regenerating from nothing and… forming clones when a 'fertile' ground is offered. Your soul is somehow tied in this story and would explain why… you ended up generating this dangerous Dragon.**'

_**So that means that the soul is… tied to Lucifer.**_

_We…_

_**We are Lucifer!?**_

'**It would explain why there is such a deep connection… while you aren't that much related to each other.**'

There was just too much that could be said about this. D-Does this mean that Lucifer was a Self-Insert himself? _Does that mean that I was related to Vali, to Mio and Maria?_

_**That's a horrifying thought… for many reasons. Can you imagine Vali call us Grandpa.**_

_P-Please don't!_

But just as the realization struck finally within my brain, Rizevim was going forward with his explanation.

"The second anomaly was caused by my own actions. I was reportedly doing different things in all Loops, doing actions differently and… this time the anomaly was caused by the fact I found the journal before Azrael could have taken it and that is why I encountered him by the family's grave."

I paused at the silver-haired man explanation before… blinking. "Why was he here?"

"He needs Lucifer's body as a main 'ingredient' to the ritual to bring him back." The Super-Devil replied. "And Trihexa is the other bit that he needs to… bring him back."

"I thought he would need a Soul to bring someone to life-"

"And that is why it's Azrael the one doing this. He has a copy of everyone's souls and… Lucifer's is the one he protects the most."

"But why he is that much attached to Lucifer?" I finally asked and… Rizevim blinked unsure.

"That is something that wasn't mentioned in the journal-" Seeing Azazel's and my confusion the man looked sheepish. "But I know someone that could know more about it and… I think it would require time and manpower to get her out-"

"You want to get Lilith out of Hades' control?" I blinked as these words left my mouth, eyes glancing at the chibi with the same name, the girl tensing a little and pausing from her mirthful chatting with the group of people near her.

Koneko's and Kunou's ears twitched, while Kuroka calmly made sure that none were truly taken by what was going on with the… important bit of the table.

Gasper was sitting between Valerie's legs while the young Belmont, Mathias was sitting beside the Tepes while trying to understand what was going on.

_**He looks… just a little younger than us. Maybe… seventeen?**_

_Sixteen at best._

"You know that you are asking a very difficult task. Just a bunch of people is capable of handling Hades and-"

"That is why it will not be me going for that suicidal mission." He turned towards Julius and Alucard, both men glancing back in confusion. "I want those two on the case. The Belmont's Vampire Killer is the only weapon capable of perfectly harm the bastard while Allie there was the sole non-divine being capable of matching with Hades…"

At this point, something clicked in my mind as I connected the allusions to… the connection.

Death was a servant Dracula gained just before his turning and there was little known about the being… only that was being born by Chaos itself that… ruled over the realm of the afterlife.

Death is Hades.

He was incredibly strong, he managed to come back even after being beaten so many times and… he couldn't die. He commanded death itself, he was Death Itself.

"And how do you plan to convince both to go there?" I decided to indulge the smug now returning to Rizevim.

"That's actually very easy." The man smiled and nodded. "_You _are going to be the one convincing them."

I blinked. "Beg your pardon-"

"Right now I'm the official ruler of the little piece of land that Wilbert once owned and… I think I promised to give up that if I managed to form an alliance and I _wouldn't be able to do that _if I don't get my demands satisfied."

Sapphire tensed, eyes narrowing at this little development, meanwhile Rizevim turned his sight at Mio and Maria. The redhead frowned, trying to bar the attention off from her younger sibling and ending up making the Super-Devil snort in amusement.

"Truly interesting how the two represent two aspects part of mother. The tall shy girl has her appearance and… I bet the midget has her personality-"

"_Who are you calling 'midget', you fucking piece of garbage-_"

"Language, Maria!" Sapphire chided, but nonetheless gave a proud nod at the half-succubus, making the girl smile at the silent praise as the woman turned to Rizevim. "And I would like that you didn't taunt my niece, _brother_."

"Or what, dearest sister? Going to attack me with your brutal strength and make me beg? I bet you would like that and… wait, aren't those my nieces too!?"

"Y-You are our uncle no more!" Mio replied sternly, glaring at him. "You killed d-dad! Y-You can't be forgiven."

The Super-Devil blinked, eyes widening for a moment before nodding. "Okay, it seems that she ain't as shy as I remember her…" He turned to glance at me. "What is your secret, _daddy_? Some kind of _intimate ritual _to get them all brave and-"

Rizevim yelped in surprised as _Euclid slammed his fist on top of his Lord's head._

"E-Euclid? A-Are you finally snapping because of your not-so-secret siscon ambitions- GAH!"

Another closed palm slammed onto the Lucifer. "_That_, my Lord, was something you asked me to do when you were close to mess up the diplomatic effort. You were… rather adamant about the use of force if certain cases were brought up." The Lucifuge explained calmly, yet I swear I saw his lips twitch upwards.

"S-Still, I meant like poking my shoulder or verbally reprimand me like you usually do- _N-Not literally bashing my poor skull!_"

"Thousands of apologies then, milord."

"Ignoring this 'comedy' you are putting up, you have yet to explain why shouldn't we be worried of Azrael go and free Trihexa right now." Azazel pointed out and…

_Is it just me or is it that much odd that he is the most serious at the table?_

_**We are talking about a world-end scenario, I don't think fun can be allowed… just yet.**_

"Ah yes, I think… I can say for sure he will not." Rizevim assured with a doubtful tone. "I mean, dad did mention that the security was usually tight and that he would need the reset to properly enter… but he can't use it."

…

"Beg your pardon?" I asked quickly, eyes wide open at that sudden revelation.

"While the seal dad left wasn't meant to hold anyone, the true intent was to limit the power of the reset. And since it already need a fuck-ton of energy to operate, the current limitations render it impossible for Azrael to use it."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT IS!?" The Governor-General of Grigori practically yelled.

"But I did!" He explained placidily. "Right now-"

"I have reasons to believe mother is going to have a strong lecture with you." Sapphire commented with a tired sigh.

Surprisingly enough, the Super-Devil started to look a little nervous. "I- I mean, I might have caused some… massacre, but I don't think that mom will-"

"She will bend you and start to spank you, just like she did back when you were but a little idiot boy."

It was odd to see Rizevim that much… scared about that eventual encounter and… he blinked. "I will have to make sure I am not around when she is free then-"

"I will make sure that she knows of your infamy, brother. Just to see how much you will squirm when-"

For some reason, I felt like this once was something pretty normal in the weird family headed by Lucifer- _our other self_.

"But alas I think it's for the best to assure something important before you sign any treaty, Hoitsu-san." The woman turned her attention at me, causing me to tense up at the serious look plastered on her face.

I blinked. "A-And that is?"

"A contract of marriage between you, Mio and Maria-"

"Auntie-" "THANK YOU, Auntie!"

The younger redhead was horrified by the prospect of wedding this early in her life, while Maria…

"Hehehe~." The half-succubus was licking her lips, her face completely red as a perverted expression was visible on her face. "Ho-i-tsu-_kyun~_!"

I almost screamed at that, feeling panic rising at the prospect of having to deal with a rabid fan-girl about… this 'silly mistake'.

"A-Ah, Sapphire-san, don't you think th-that would be rushing? I mean, Mio and Maria don't know me well and the opposite is true too. I think we could a-also agree that we are re-"

"You are not." A very unhelpful Rizevim jumped in with a happy smile. "Pops had a special genetic composition after turning in a Devil, his intention was to avoid… these cases from happening."

"But you are also bringing up some good points, you three have been together for just a month. I think it would be best to wait a year or so." The woman admitted. "But I want just one thing already, something that I think it's a reward for having taken care of the girls."

She smiled and pulled me in an… embrace. I could _feel heaven._

"Call me Auntie."

I nodded in the hug and replied a little muffled. "O-Okay… Auntie."

She tightened her hold, giving me a squeeze before letting go with a small smile on her face.

"Brat, your luck is just insane." Azazel commented flatly.

"If only we weren't related..." Rizevim mournfully added.

"I'm besieged by utter morons..." Euclid concluded with a dry tone.

"A-Auntie! Y-You shouldn't hug people without their permission-"

"**And why not, Queen?**" A familiar giggle froze her stuck as another redhead peeked over Mio's shoulder. "**I think it's more than natural for family to hug!**"

Nanika walked forward to the confused-looking Sapphire and smiled. "**Auntie! Can you hug me too-GAH, WHY!**"

Shiranai shook his head as he retracted his cane.

**This sure was going to be an insane alliance… for sure.**

* * *

**AN**

**So there is some explanation about what is going on and…**

**This timeline is wrong too? What the heck is writing those scripts?**

***Looks at the mirror * Oh right…**

**Well, that was a short one. I don't want to spoil people with long chapters as there are little response to those.**

**Also, can someone explain why so little reaction to previous chapter? Was it good or bad?**

**Lastly, this chapter was safely corrected with Grammarly non-premium, same with the previous one, so there aren't that many grammar errors...**

_**Future milestone 1: 900 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	60. De Exodo Dimensioni

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 59: De Exodo Dimensioni**

* * *

I had been partly aware of what has been happening in the Underworld while on the run.

Mostly because I was morbidly intrigued by what reaction the entirety of Hell would assume about what had happened back in Kuoh, a minority was about knowing what kind of dangers I would have ended up facing if I didn't move quickly enough out of Japan.

There were brutal words directed at me, the full story barred from people's knowledge as only the crimes were mentioned.

There was no interest in giving out a 'humane' perspective over my actions, possibly because the Satans were aware of the dangerous threat I was and that the required help would have needed the whole Underworld united against me.

A mobilization ensued, some of the greater Lords calling their banners by drafting new blood to their ranks and making sure to swear loyalty to the Four- now Three- Satans.

And while the majority of the Hellish denizens craved for a quick attack against me, as a mean to properly end this 'terrible monster', a full month had passed without any attempt to bring the troops outside of the Underworld.

Confusion stirred, anger still bubbling as, without the proper target nearby, was slowly redirected to the leaders that got them all ready for a war and… the reason behind such a passive and hesitant demeanor was fairly simple as foolish.

If even a single soldier of Hell marched outside of the marked lands, Heaven would have declared war against the 'invading force'. To think that the messy diplomacy that still lived after so many centuries of peace would actually ease up my escape and render impossible any chance for an alliance between the two opposing factions…

Michael was never the best person to rule, his mind too centered around the precepts of a flawed God with a sprinkle of an Inferiority Complex.

A fool, there was no denial after the display or… lack of proper response to my attack.

Heaven was by no means unbeatable and the only thing that a smart guy would have done in his situation would have been… delay.

Delay and evacuate.

People died, people that had to get directly attacked and _removed _from my path to reach the end of this twisted and psychotic nightmare.

Grigori actively hunted me down during my month-long escape, but the lack of powerful fighters to spare all around the organization ended up causing just a few of those to come close to where I was hiding temporarily during my run.

Then when they got really close in New York, capturing me and all, the skyscraper became a grand grave for those that tried to kill me in that occasion.

The situation also brought attention to the surreal presence of strange DNA in the remaining husk of the building, the news blasting with theories, people 'coming forward' about some details of the supernatural world and the Church was trying and failing to keep up with the downfall of its own foundation.

Normal humans were finally noticing that something odd was going on around them, causing further issues with all those factions, from Christianity and other Pantheons, about the fall of the 'tricky' curtain between the Deities and the mortals blissfully unaware of what was going on in the backstage of the world.

And while both Grigori and Heaven suffered from the recent attempts to take my life, Hell was collapsing upon itself.

A month was more than enough to make people cautious and paranoid about their closest kin. Hesitation, doubts, and panic all played horrible cards to the leaders of Hell as a full-fledged Civil War exploded two weeks in during my 'pilgrimage'.

Initially, it was just some conflicts between a family or two. Then the small fire started to burn brighter than expected as society fragmented in numerous groups, cliques formed by Lords and Ladies tired of the current leadership Hell was 'enduring' after years of stagnating peace.

War erupted, but the participants were all within the Underworld itself.

The entire territory was split in zones of influence, with constant raids between a zone and another.

People were dying, **innocents were dying **as the world- no, the _entire reality _registered its first contraction.

I felt it the moment I blasted through the massive walls that led within the initial section of Hell. I paused just a moment, my whole body tensing up in dread at the effects and the… magnitude of this phenomenon.

_It's happening far earlier than planned!_

I needed to move quickly, even if I had to redo the same atrocities perpetrated within the pearly kingdom.

Just as I returned to look at the hole created, I was greeted by a full platoon of red-armored knights sporting some flags with a familiar purple flower.

I blinked. "The Bael Clan?" I mused vocally, the knights bending the knee and causing me to blink in surprise.

"That's correct, milord." Zekram Bael descended from the sky moments later, behind him his son, Lord Bael, and his grandchild, Sairaorg.

Both father and son bowed, leaving just the young man standing up and staring fiercely at me.

There was shock and embarrassment in Zerkam's face, the founder of the Clan and Lucifer's trusted loyalist seeming ready to murder his grandson the moment he ignored the respectful gesture.

The old man was prim and proper, _like the memories of Lucifer reminded me._

"Zeks, you look old." I mirthfully commented, causing the elder to glance back at me with wide-eyes.

He started to vibrate a little, excited by the fact he was finally greeting his Creator.

"M-Milord! Y-You are back!"

"Partly and… things are escalating to an ugly situation for everyone." I replied with a serious but kind tone, the same one Heliel would use to talk with his 'children'. "The dimension is destabilizing the more time passes…"

"T-That- What is happening, milord?" Zekram finally asked, a panicked expression in his face.

I could_ remember_ giving him some explanation about a pseudo-loop, nothing too revealing but it was also something that got him even more loyal to the King of the Underworld.

"The reset is not working anymore." I commented with cold tone. "The cycle has to be broken."

He blinked once, then twice, and then the man bowed again. "If this is your command, milords-"

"Hoitsu Sakakibara." Sairaorg spoke loudly, his booming voice being… interesting to hear this closely. "I demand you explain what happened in Kuoh Town."

I sighed, noticing the burning scowl now hanging by the elder's face and decided to intervene before causing further distractions. "And I shall explain. I think everyone in the Clan and those that wishes to follow me has the right for a proper explanation."

I looked up in the sky and I nodded to myself. "But we need to get going. The timer is ticking and I've to reach Trihexa's containment chambers." I muttered, dragonic wings sprouting from my back as I took the lead in the flight.

Some tensed up at the mere mentioning of the Dragon of the Apocalypse, but they all followed my example and, after unfolding their wings, started to follow me towards the deeper parts of Hell.

"T-The Beast of the End?" Zekram's son asked bluntly, surprise painting his tone. "M-Milord, I k-know that the situation is terrible but-"

"Trihexa is part of the 'old' Lucifer." I replied with a tired tone. "It's essential to recover it, something I shall do alone and personally as the situation is that terrible."

Then I turned to Sairaorg. "And I think it's time to also address your concerns. Concerns I'm sure others are feeling right now for the cause they are following."

The Heir of the Bael Clan merely nodded and I started to explain things… from the very beginning.

There wasn't any time to waste in subtlety, the world was dying and if this was the only help I had to divert the obstacles away, _then I will make sure to not have any world-shattering revelation spoilered during a fight._

From the original idea behind the loops to the fall of the First Lucifer. From the end of the First Trihexa to the beginning of this damaged route.

The knights were horrified by the tale, while the three 'heads' of the Bael Clan looked merely shocked by the intense narration, the emotions that dripped from every word leaving my lips.

There were hardly any questions during the flight as the story itself took much of their attention.

Still, I detected something strange. While part of Hell was still fighting with the brutality reported by the spies in there, the area we were slowly making ourselves way into was… growing ever so silent the more we flied towards it.

This silence was… familiar. It reminded me of… **death**.

I blinked as I suddenly felt the terrifying pulse of energy standing right between us and the containment chambers.

My sight locked onto a silent figure, _several pieces of clothing lying wasted around __**her.**_

I felt nervous,_** I felt danger coming right at u-**_

**There were hardly any questions during the flight- **Wait, did I just reset!?

I blinked and suddenly I remembered what happened.

"Everyone dive down!" The unexpected order caused surprise at the group following my lead, but they all followed me down as…

_I saw it, the normal-looking girl with dark-haired combed in a pony-tail. _She blitzed right where we once where, halting a moment as her black eyes widened in surprise at the lack of people around her.

_**Lilith**_, or whatever that thing was, turned her attention slowly right _at me._

The girl blinked, her energy pattern far greater than Ophis or… _anyone in this reality_.

It was close to mine, the sudden death that I suffered being caused by the immensely powerful strike she used.

Her surprise was divided between the fact we dodged that attack and because she was possibly feeling the strain of that burst of energy.

She rushed down, I moved away and… _forgot completely about the group behind me._

The following energy strike was weaker compared to the first one, but it was strong enough to fully vaporize the leaders of the Bael Clan.

My eyes widened in shock, she blinked again and glanced back at me… this _time _smiling giddily.

"Tag!" The word that was meant to refer to the children's game brought cold dread to my poor soul as I had to dive once more down to avoid the playful blur of utter doom.

Once I was in a 'safe' distance, I decided to throw a powerful blast of raw energy at her and… she deflected it easily. My jaws dropped, the giggling enemy showing more of her dangerous abilities.

_I- I have to hit harder then!_

I decided to avoid using energy-based attacks, getting closer to the smiling girl, I promptly punched her straight in her face and- "Owie! That was mean!"

If only she could understand that this wasn't _**JUST A FUCKING GAME!**_

I roared and decked her in the neck, a surprised look born by the brief pain was soon replaced by a mirthful grin as she reacted by _kicking me in the stomach_. "Let's fight, Niichan!"

My consciousness faded just a moment at the nickname, my eyes flashing red as I started to realize that this situation was worse than expected.

Everything clicked now about why Lilith of all people was capable of matching up against me.

There were clothes that were once worn by people. People that were alive just moments before I arrived.

There were armors, maid clothes, civilian robes… **and I saw a Magical Girl-like dress too.**

This was supposedly the part where the Satans were keen to hole up in case of crisis and… _Rizevim knew about his plans._

Without Azrael to stop him and without the loop happening as it should regularly happen, the man was surely aware about my necessity to reach Trihexa and…

This Lilith had Ophis, Rizevim, Euclid, _Issei, Sirzechs, Falbium, Serafall, Grayfia… and many others within herself._

I can see how the leader of Qlippoth tried to use Lilith as a replacement for me, trying to recreate a proto-Trihexa capable of absorbing the one currently contained… but ended up messing things to a terrible degree.

The first contraction of this dimension had to have sparked Lilith's self-preservation mechanism, the inner dragon-like instincts flaring at the massive danger and urged her to…_ get stronger_.

I was shocked at the speed exercised in the absorption of so many beings but… here she was.

_***Lilith wants to play!**_

_...What?!_

She giggled again, her first punch easily dodged and forcing her to attack even faster than before. Of course she was weaker than me but the distance was… minimal compared to others.

_In this scenario, I felt close to really lose against someone._

It was in the following exchange of blows that something even scarier happened.

My fist slammed into hers and… _**something **__**cracked**_.

It wasn't my hand, nor hers. It wasn't Hell and not even Earth.

_**Reality cracked once more!**_

Nononononono!

I felt panic surging as my attacks intensified, same for Lilith as her eagerness pushed her further.

This… **this** **has to end now!**

If the girl had this much energy… then it was more than right to use it against her.

I slammed a fist on her chest, getting two punches in my face in the process, then I landed another punch, this one in her left-side ribs. Finally, I drove my closed palm in her stomach, causing her to retaliate with a powerful kick.

I was sent flying away, denying myself any recovery as I exploited the distance created by the attack to set my plan in motion without drawing any suspicions.

Lilith giggled again, prepping herself to rush once more towards me but-

"G-Gah!?" Her hands shoot protectively at her chest. Agonizing pain visible in her face as she started to sob uncontrollably, her entire body trembling.

I blinked, my mind now emptied by any chance of redemption as I knew this was going to be my last kill.

I lifted my open palm up. "The fun is over Lilith." I stated with a blank tone and then… I snapped my fingers.

She didn't have any possibility of reply to my words, her entire body turning a bright white and then… a soundless explosion ripped me away from the 'vicinity'.

I blinked, recoiling at the blast as I slammed just in time against… _Trihexa's seals_.

The painful pushback of the powerful _centuries-old_ runes was enough to make me land on the ground with a painful and crunchy **thud** and… make me doubt about being able to do much after… this.

I crawled for a while towards the runes before actually attempting to wobble myself towards the large chambers. I paused just a meter or so away from the seals and sighed.

"**In the beginning, there was darkness. God wanted Light… but Darkness brought balance. In the end… Darkness brings Light and the world shall be made ablaze.**"

The seals glowed a dark-red, burning themselves as the containment spells were lifted off from the grounds and… _a familiar roar echoed vengefully from the large pit._

I sighed and stared down in the abyss.

**The abyss stared back, a toothed grin sported by Trihexa sending chills down my spine.**

"And this is how things… will end." I blinked and slowly _fell_ in that seemingly endless pit.

The Dragon roared again, flapping his thousands of wings at once as if craving hungrily for its first taste of freedom after so many years of being contained.

But it was all for nothing as… confusion riddled Trihexa the moment it stared at… itself.

The 'copy' looked shocked too and the simple mortal, the human that was now between the two Beasts, started to swiftly chant several incantations.

And while the two identical creatures were mesmerized by their own appearances, their own energy pools and their hunger…

_I smiled with a guilty smile concluding the incantation and… I started to draw both Trihexas' energies._

The powerful sources were already collapsing. It was well-known that two beings of identical and equal presence within the same universe were bent to collapse reality without hesitation.

But with their mindless consciousness being the first thing to fade, the energy was easy to manipulate, to use for the last **Reset **ability in Lucifer's repertoire.

Something the bastard himself wouldn't even dare to make use of because… it was too dangerous and required too much energy.

Energy that I had with the two Trihexas dying just near enough to me to make this possible.

"**Last Encore: Final Reset.**"

Four words. Four simple words and the entire dimension… _collapsed._

I felt pushed in a small space, air forcefully ejected from my lungs as I started to be slammed left and right in an endless darkness where only I was visible.

I didn't have air to scream, nor to properly think and move as I was pulled away from the dying mess that was reality and… _sent careening in the next one._

I blinked, my vision fading between unconsciousness and… _being alive_ while I was flung to the next… step of my final adventure.

_**If only I had knew that Dimension-hopping was this much… painful…**_

An eternity later and with a tired mind and body, I greeted the approaching cemented floor with the same familiarity one has for… a friend.

I crash-landed in some alley, my face painfully burning as I saw blood spurting out of my new… wounds?

Oh… I don't have Trihexa anymore and I should be worried by… this.

I felt footsteps approaching, but my eyes were too tired to be able to discern the approaching shadows.

The only thing that I know is… that whoever found me was a… woman?

* * *

**AN**

**And with this the first section of Broken Trickster DxD is… completed!**

**But I can say right now that… the show is far from over. Since yesterday I forgot to update, either today or tomorrow I will have an extra chapter!**

**But for now, since I'm feeling rather… inspired by Oneshots, I think I will write a…**

* * *

**Omake 5: Sleeping is… difficult.**

* * *

When Kunou began sleeping in my bed, I was elated to have someone adorable snoring nearby and… keeping things warm with her fluffy tails.

It was the cutest experience ever, even the best way to avoid getting nightmares.

**Yet this happiness vanished the moment things escalated.**

Kunou was soon joined by Koneko, the silver-haired Nekoshou having a more passive positioning, preferring to sleep with her head resting on my free arm rather than on my chest. It would happen once or twice in a while to have her share my torso with the Kitsune but… those were rare moments.

Then… it was Ophis' turn.

The girl was quite… cautious with her positioning, preferring to sleep in a hug rather than being merely covered by sheets. This caused several issues regarding the summer's torrid heat and me waking up in a pool of sweat. She was alright by the morning while I would then be forced to take a long shower to clean up from that… situation.

Sleeping with three chibis seemed to be my limit, I planned to put a stop to eventual other girls but…

Then was the turn of… Maria.

A flat 'no' was given to the half-succubus when she asked to join in, trying to appear innocent and… failing because of the fawning that preceded the request.

A totally justified refusal as the girl was quite versed in being… terribly attracted to me. Not only she had some powerful charm spell but she was terribly taken by my deeds and how 'good-looking' I am.

She would end up try to sneak into my room and… _be promptly stopped by Kuroka_.

I don't know why Kuroka took the initiative of making sure the girl wouldn't invade my bed for… _explicit reasons, _but I was sure that there had to be a good and _genuine_ reason behind this good behavior from the young woman.

_And hopefully I will not wake up one day to deal with some unpleasant regrets and some sirens ringing by my house's entrance._

With Maria's situation dealt with, the ball landed right into Lilith.

She was similar to Ophis at first, requesting hugs during sleep but… then decided to adopt a more Kunou-esque approach and merely sleep with her head atop my chest.

Nothing horrible happened with her… or at least nothing worth any worry from me but… I still think that four girls sleeping in the same bed can be… quite uncomfortable, no matter the arrangements taken.

"...So I came to you to ask if you knew how to deal with this-"

"I think you are slightly overreacting, Hoitsu-san. I think you should enjoy the fact that you have a strong following of little sisters loving you that much. Some would envy the wholesome and endearing trust those girls have for you."

I blinked, eyes widening at the sudden reply and… that actually make some little sense.

"But the problem is-"

"Being in a relationship, may it be a platonic or a romantic one, has people gaining and giving. You can't expect yourself entitled to only receiving, aren't you, Hoitsu-san?"

I stopped with my lips parted to speak, I frowned and then I closed my mouth. The words now _meant _something.

"I've to admit that I've… never seen this perspective before. I guess that… work is starting to really affect my perception of things and… I forgot that I've to understand their flaws like they understand mines-" I paused, eyes widening. "I- what if I had problematic sleep? What if I- I was being this idiotic when they are suffering too and-"

"Calm yourself, you lucky lad!" The doctor replied with a bright smile, caressing his_ curious_ goatee. There was just something… that made him familiar. "You are just a youth seeking answers about a completely complex situation and I do respect the fact you've come to seek help."

"T-Thanks, Shinhachi-san. I didn't expect to have some… clarity about the matter without causing… issues with the situation itself." I stood up from my chair and shook the smiling man's hand, surprised by the incredibly strong hold and… cool sensation.

"Trust me kid, I faced much _much _worse than what you are dealing with." The doctor nodded while leading me to the door. "The only thing I've to ask is… if you somehow end up meeting with a cutie, a little girl with warm red-eyes and brown-hair that's called 'Mayu', I need you to avoid trying to pull her in the whole 'Big Brother' situation."

… "Can I ask w-"

"She is my daughter and I **will break you legs if she is somehow decides to pick up your habit and have all her friend dog-pile the bed where my wife and I sleep… **_**CAPISCHE!?**_"

I 'eeped' a little at the unexpected demonic voice and powerful glow coming from the man's eyes. "I- I understand, s-sir!"

He smiled again. "Good. Then you may go..."

_I never left a place faster than in that occasion… but seriously._

_**Who was this John Shinhachi and why he sounded 'familiar'?!**_

* * *

**AN**

**The Living Bot strikes twice! This time meddling in the omake. Goddammit, go back to your place-**

_**You can't tell us what to do, you foo-**_

**...And he's completely gone now. Good.**

**Anyway, long day and I'm starting to get annoyed by the fact the sky is darkening faster than in summer. I know there is a scientific basis behind the phenomenon, but the fact I get sleepy when in a dark room or with the sound of rain behind me… yep, I'm completely taken out by this stuff…**

_**Future milestone 1: 900 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Victorsan12345****: The thing is Rizevim doesn't want to fight Death… because he doesn't want to deal with his mother so soon. I've never mentioned that Hades is stronger than Rizevim, only that the shit-lord is not keen of 'dealing with him'. It is also confirmed that Death is incredibly powerful, it is a Spirit capable of unleashing and 'fully control' an army of undead people. While Dracula's army is made by powerful beasts and monsters, the vampire is known to be unable to fully control the army. Devil isn't even a 'servant' to Dracula, but a 'spirit that lives by chaos' and thus adopting the 'Ryuuk' behavior from Death Note (No, I will not bring that series in the plot.). The reason why Sapphire 'helped' Rizevim will be revealed soon. I know that there are some questions about this 'brief alliance' and I will bring answers up… like always.**

**Illusion of Time****: I was pressed on making action happen too quickly. While I wanted to 'waste' time in putting some character development and give some breathing space between fights and revelations, a 'vocal' group just wanted to have action and only action. Where is this group? They all deserted the moment I started to completely ignore their comments while I focused on those that promoted good criticism and where nobody demanded anything from anyone. Still, thank you for the kind words and the criticism and… I will do something about the messy plot with the sidestories. I've planned some stories (a little less than ten) that will expand on each character on a very deep level. I will take a slow pace in those and make sure to bring wholesomeness and action in a balanced manner.**


	61. Eternal Bond

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 60: Eternal Bond**

* * *

It's been three days since the sudden diplomatic meeting between the Omega Initiative, Qlippoth and Grigori.

While I had eagerly expected some early action, I was only granted with some minor assurance of something interesting happening… in a few weeks from now.

It was odd, not unexpected, but still unnerving as I found myself dealing with the implications of having shattered the Khaos Brigade… again.

Differently from the first time, where Ophis' decision to resign from the formal leadership and the destruction of the Old Satan Faction did cut in half the entire group, the Hero Faction didn't need Qlippoth to survive.

Actually, it made them even more appealing to the Gods of the various pantheons that wanted a big war as without a connection with the very reason why the Christian Pantheon truly hunted them down, Cao Cao had the chances of getting people endeared to his charismatic speeches without putting those interested in his words at odds with Heaven and the Underworld.

Things were still as complicated as before because, even with both Julius and Alucard recruited to strike Hades and rescue the original Lilith, if this attack was broadcasted in any possible form of media, the devastating impact it would have to the relationships between the other pantheons, even the more peaceful ones, and the Christian one.

People were mostly unaware that the dangerous threats of the Khaos Brigade had yet to be defeated, the fact that the official 'defeat' was set to have happened during the attack on Tokyo, there was still a lingering sense of patriotism in all factions.

A small incident, even the most insignificant of those, could bring some heavy predicaments that… none of the leaders of the Three Factions wanted to have anything to do about.

Of course, knowing that there were Gods that would still give it a try to have a War happening via indirect intervention, those were heavily monitored. Loki was the most worrisome, his displeasure regarding an opening between the Norse and the Christian Pantheons being a major reason to destabilize the latter group.

I was lying on my couch, yawning as Kunou was sprawled on my chest, the girl enjoying some minor rest after making sure that Lilith was asleep and also having Ophis promising to keep company to her 'copy'. Surprisingly enough, the scene I found moments later to check on them was… two chibis sleeping near each other. I can only assume the 'older sibling' wanted to see if sleeping cuddled with her 'younger sister' would actually work as it does with me.

If so, the results were perfectly clear.

It was a working day, people that would be usually at home were either at school or doing some private projects.

I was aware that Kuroka and Koneko were going to be experimenting some improving step for their current Senjutsu forms while sharpening what they currently had.

Xenovia had decided to spend some of her free time trying to get Mathias and Valerie accustomed to their new flat with the active support of Gasper. The little Vladi had all good reasons to be going for this activity, citing how it was only respectful to help his first friend and Xenovia in doing this much.

He did reveal to the blue-haired girl about… being 'skeptical' about Mathias, something I was quick to label childish jealousy created by the fact this very individual, this stranger, managed to get this close to Valerie.

So… the house was pretty much empty right now and I found myself in… some strange silence.

_Is it wrong that I found the quiet walls of my house… oppressive?_

'**You have spent some time now dealing with a never-ending series of events that got you dragged in quite the dangerous situations. I think you are...**'

_**Suffering from the lack of action.**_

_...Say what?_

_**As much as you are really interested in living a peaceful life, the need of battling is deeply ingrained in your body now. A physical reaction to so many fights happening this closely.**_

_B-But I've been enjoying quite well the previous break-_

'**Because you had other maddening predicaments to face. You might be capable of living with this crave, but you will have to endure through the need of… beating someone.**'

_This is… rather worrisome._

_**And you think that is the worst bit. Do you even realize that yesterday you skipped your usual self-study session?**_

_I think I had- yes, I was help with Sapphire-san. She needed some help moving some boxes to where Mio and Maria were staying in Kuoh._

_**But you still plenty of time to recover from that tardiness.**_

_You mean that-_

'**Your mind is slowly accepting the fact that fighting and practice are better than intellect and theoretical study.**'

_**A completely unacceptable outcome that we WILL make sure it doesn't come to pass.**_

_So… do I spend the day studying and skipping the practice section?_

_**You could spend some time with Kunou. It's been a while since you have enjoyed some time alone and… I think she will not have any issue in going around for a walk around Kuoh.**_

I blinked at that notion, my sight still fixed at the ceiling.

_It could be a good idea… but what about the two girls sleeping in Kunou's room?_

_**I could get out and… babysit them?**_

_...You just wanted to spend some time with Lilith, don't you?_

_**Guilty as charged, chief. I just want to see how much similar to Ophis she is and… I dunno.**_

I sighed softly, stroking Kunou's hair a little more and gaining a purr-like reply from the sleeping girl.

_I know you will be responsible but… make sure Lilith doesn't go berserk when she doesn't found me there when she wakes up._

_**I will do that, boss!**_

I nodded to myself and cautiously shook the blonde a little, getting her to stir and… open a tired golden eye. "Mhhh~?"

"Ne, Ku-chan, do you want to go for a walk-"

"Nyo." She replied flatly, snuggling onto my chest. "I… I want to sleep."

Oh. That was… new.

She is usually very keen to those proposition… why she seemed that much tired?

'**Did you two seriously forget how much training the girl has done very recently?**'

_**Oh- Oh right and-**_

_I should have remembered._

I patted her head softly, eyes glimmering as realization about the girl's tiredness revealed. She did look weary, and she was seriously enjoying the moment of relief by sleeping… with me.

_**It's not your fa-**_

_I'm her brother. As much as I try to ignore it, I still have to be mindful of Kunou's willingness to go far with her training. She can still get tired and I should be careful to not have her this… over-extended._

"N-Niichan?"

I blinked, my attention returned to the girl, her lone eye once more glancing at me.

"Yes sweetie?" I asked softly, trying to mind the fact she was still sleepy.

"Do you think… we could visit Mama?" She muttered quietly.

I… was taken by surprise by that question. It's been a while since I've heard her ask about Yasaka and… while I know she had been calling her on a daily basis, I can see that after a month she could get nostalgic.

I smiled, trying to hide the inner embarrassment of having completely forgotten about… that.

"I will see if we can plan two days for Kyoto." I promised, ready to maintain at least this. "I think we will go there for a week or more once we got this Lucifer situation dealt with."

A tiny smile appeared on her face and she nodded. "Thank you… Niichan."

I nodded back and, expecting her to fall asleep once more, closed my eyes, trying to enjoy the silence that was expected to come back.

"By the way… Niichan." She mused softly, causing me to look once more at her.

"Thank you for… everything." The blonde said happily, my wide eyes barely deterring the girl from continuing. "A-As much I didn't like the fact I wasn't with you when… T-Tokyo's happened, I think I should thank you for-"

"Sweetie-"

"N-No." She interjected my interruption, her full attention now on me as both her eyes were completely glancing back at mine. "I-I have to say this."

"I… I don't want to be disrespectful but… I want to be the one to protect you, Niichan." The blonde admitted with a sad hint in her voice. "I… I want to be the one that keep you safe and away from harm's way."

There was a few moments of silence. Silence that I used to reflect upon her words and properly formulate some reply.

"Do you have… a reason why you need to be the 'one' that protects me, Ku-chan?" My question was clear, but Kunou willingly took some time to answer to it.

"M-Mama told me that… I will..." She paused, her face pressed on my chest. "I-I will live longer than you."

Oh.

_**Oh shit.**_

"I-I thought Mama was l-lying at first but- but Kitsunes do live longer than humans and… and with that special technique I've managed to accomplish, I will live e-even longer than expected." She continued to explain. "I-I don't want to- I don't want to give you up like this and- and-"

I hugged her, I was starting to feel… sad myself about this situation. It was just that-

I know that Kunou cares for me. A lot. Hearing about this care in a daily predicament proves it the best but-

But with this little opening I was being bestowed with? I was concerned about her and how she felt about life itself. I could… remember having some negative thoughts about death.

It was nothing about suicide, nor anything remotely close to it. It was a slight fear that… life moves too quickly. It is the cruel exaggeration of 'time passes fast when you are having fun.'

The 'Fun' in life is the happy moments and… time is the years, the decades. It was a humongous but terrible thought that happens to everyone at least once in a lifetime and… Kunou was dealing with it.

As much as she was accustomed to pain and death, having to come to terms about the fact that her precious people had a limit that reached way before hers? I could imagine the worry, I could imagine the fear.

But in that moment of gloom, there was a small thought that I know would give her some hope.

"Ku-chan… you know that you are wrong about something?" I softly questioned, causing the girl to tense up and frown at my words.

"Do you think that I am truly human… anymore?" I continued to ask. "Did you forget how many 'inhuman' feats I pulled until very recently?"

She lifted her head, puffy red eyes stared back and I smiled a tiny smile. "Did you forget that I, as your Niichan, will be there to the very end? To help you when you need-"

"D-Don't lie-"

"There is no lie, Ku-chan." I continued, determination flaring and stirring within my core. "There is only the simplest of truths."

My hands slowly cupped her cheeks and I smiled a little more.

"Your Niichan is certainly not going to accept death if this means leaving you alone. I will refute it in all instances, in all questions and all inane demands. I will always there when my Imouto needs help."

I pressed on, the girl crying again and nuzzling my chest aggressively as she sought some reprieve from that strong promise.

"I've… come to the conclusion that I'm not… common. I'm not a human being… to the fullest at least." I admitted with a sigh. "I've gone through great lengths and that ended up… making me into something… better than human."

She sniffled and blinked. "T-That means-"

"I'm close to a divine state. Like… many others that we know about are at this point." I continued to explain about… my current predicament. "I'm not a Yokai, nor I'm a Devil… or an Angel or a Fallen one to boot. I'm just… beyond human."

"T-That means-!" She straddled on my chest, eyes going wide open as she looked hopeful and needy of that answer.

"I… I will live for an extremely long time. Maybe even catch up with your limit if these situations continue to happen, if my power grows at this pace." I brought her head down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "So yes, that means I will be around for as long as you need me, sweetie."

She hugged me intensely, the dams breaking as she cried and sobbed, a mix of sad and happy wetting my shirt as she thoroughly let out all the frustration, all of that fear and that worry that had been an unhealthy part of her drive.

Protect people is alright, but to do it because you are always afraid they would die if you aren't ready? That kind of paranoia was the worst thing ever to deal with, especially if it's someone Kunou's age to face it like this.

I felt ashamed that I didn't catch up the signs early on, this situation just being a lucky predicament that, if it hadn't happened, would have had a major impact over everything.

_**You shouldn't-**_

_It's my fault-_

_**You don't know that-**_

_I FEEL THAT IT IS! I DON'T NEED TO KNOW IF IT ISN'T OR NOT, I FEEL THAT I DID SOMETHING TERRIBLE BY MISSING ANY CLUES OF THIS BEHAVIOR._

_**...Sorry.**_

_N-No, I… I'm just-_

"N-Niichan- y-you are crying too?" Her shorter arms wrapped around my neck and I felt her head press on my chin. "D-Don't cry?"

Yet she was crying too and… I felt even more driven to cry.

_Goddammit, I- I blame the fucking dust for this-_

_**We cleaned yesterday-**_

_W-Well, some has to have remained for me to-_

"Niichan!" A battle cry preceded quick footsteps as I soon realized that _Lilith was awake._

Oh God.

Kunou managed to turn her head in time as a dark blur slammed against the two of us. The younger girl decided to put herself between me and the blonde, hugging both as she enjoyed the sudden wave of warmth.

Ophis took a slower approach, staring at the scene with a curious glint in her blank eyes. "Why are you two crying?" She took as step closer. "You need… more cuddles." The Infinity Dragon stated with utter certainty.

..._What?_

_**I think she read something about… hugs making people happy so… yeah, she is going to do that.**_

_What is tha-Ah!_

Without warning, Ophis jumped in the fray and proceeded to turn what was once a cuddle-box in a pure dog-pile situation. There were giggles, someone started to tickle around and… everyone started to move all over my chest much to my initial discomfort.

Said discomfort started to disappear the moment I felt the tickles starting to reach out for me and… I commenced to laugh.

Gone were the ill thoughts and gone was the guilt as a new clarity washed over me.

I might have failed to see this situation with Kunou, but maybe, just maybe, I shouldn't be beating myself too much over it. The case was… solved, or at least lessened as things were hardly going to get easier from now on.

People were still going to come and harm us, cause us to doubt ourselves over our preparations and then we will deal with our own fears.

In the end, I was still managing through this endless dread while keeping everyone alive and safe. This was something that wasn't never going to change as it was my final and life-bound promise to everyone I cared for.

**And thus, another small step was made… but in which direction exactly?**

* * *

I was bound to a bed and my eyes were deprived by sight because of a soft cloth pressed on them.

I wanted to groan in pain as the leather belts holding me to the surgical bed were pressing painfully onto the bandages covering my entire body. I was sore, I felt my nerves burning as my magical core felt… abstract.

I blinked slowly, fending off the pain from the minuscule action as I tried to understand… where was I.

I didn't need any moment to properly recollect my thoughts and my memories, my mind surprisingly granting me a full array of clarity over my stillness.

While the energy that I received from both Trihexas was enough to achieve the final step of my plan, I had failed to recognize the energy's toxicity and the effect it would have to my body.

Being that I was still… somehow a human when I completed the spell, the energy _poisoned _my body and possibly burned most of my skin. I should be in agony right now, wriggling like a dying worm trying to flee from the incoming death.

My effort to come to this new dimension were close to be rendered in vain by the idiocy of having not planned the 'aftermath' of the spell.

Yet it wasn't the right time to chide myself as I was in unknown territory right now.

I could feel some seals applied to the bandages. Some were beneficial ones, trying to preserve and stabilize my conditions, while others were actually slowing down my… regeneration?

I could recognize a minority actually de-powering my Core but… why?

I still felt human and… _some bits of my skin felt for some reason cold._

Could it be- No. If that was the case, _if the energy did end up corrupting my core-_

Things were not going to be easy for anyone if I turned in a half-dragon.

The Soul, somehow a corruption could have happened during the spell. The radiation has to have permanently seeped in my skin, in my coils, in my **core.**

Only my breathing showed that something had changed from the previous calm I had over my unknown situation and… soon I was given more clues.

I felt someone shifting nearby. A guard?

I felt a soft hand press on part of the seals, magic carefully flowing inside and outside of the detection runes as barely-heard whispers sent me finding the identity of the very individual I was dealing with.

Relief washed over me, my mind realizing quickly from Azrael's insane memory over everyone's identity that I was dealing with a particular woman.

**Suzaku Himejima **sighed tiredly and took rest on the chair she had used until now. My perception of the small room was enough to broaden my capacity to deduce where I was.

The room was small, but the floor… it was warm too. We were in floor above ground and, from the lack of windows and the non-existing sensation of the outdoors nearby, I knew that we weren't in any of the corners of the building, nowhere near the extremities of it.

I tried to find anything more, something that could further reduce the possible guesses to throw about my whereabouts and then… I felt silence.

It's strange. Silence shouldn't be 'felt' and yet… I did. It was a chilling spot that suddenly _sniffed _around the room.

Suzaku tensed momentarily, before relaxing just a bit, not enough to return fully calm as she was… staring at the 'spot'.

It wasn't human, I was sure of that and… then I felt something wet pressing onto my chest. I would have blinked as confusion was now directing my full attention to the strange 'spot'. I waited for a moment and then… the revealing clue arrived.

A pair of paws pressed on my chest and in that moment I knew the identity of the creature AND where I was.

Jin, Tobio Ikuse's familiar, had obviously perceived my little sensor ability in action, the animal having heightened senses compared to simple humans. And while the small shadow familiar studied 'what happened in the room', I found myself contemplating what I should do now that…

I was somehow recovered by the SLASH DOG group and I was in the Black Dog BAR.

Once I was healed and questions were going to be given… hopefully, I will be given the chance of telling my tale. Maybe an abridged one to avoid… any dangerous and unwanted attention on me.

It wasn't the right time to repay for my sins as the world needed a 'true Anomaly' to finally end the madness caused by Lucifer.

* * *

**AN**

**Wholesome chapter with a hint over what happened to BT!Hoitsu. He will not appear until much later. He will have his special sidestory and… more details about it next chapter.**

**Yesterday, there was a massive storm that screwed up the local electrical grid and… I spent more than ten hours without electricity whatsoever. The first four-five hours I was left alone, the heat system shutting down because of lack of energy and I was forced to stay in bed until stuff turned up to normal.**

**Everything is fine now and… the updates will continue as usual from now on.**

_**Future milestone 1: 900 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Illusion of Time****: I will take your words to Heart. Thank you!**

**IdioticHypocriticalNEET****: YES!**

**Scrumblenut****: Is more that I go to sleep early and wake up **_**very **_**early. The Broken Trickster timeline is now interconnected with the Magical Trickster one. If by 'Happens at Kuoh' yu mean why BT!Hoitsu went nuts, the explanation was given in 'Intermezzo'. If not, I suggest giving me some more details about it 'cause I might have not caught up with what is being mentioned here.**

**TheBlindSalmon****: It's kind of sad since there is no Rias Bashing and she is literally getting an Arc very soon. I'm kindly annoyed by the fact you didn't read any of the ANs or you would have understood why some changes were applied. Still, if you don't wish to read the story, I will not hold you hostage so… go free, ye blind salmon!**


	62. Winner Winner Phenex Lunch!

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 61: Winner Winner Phenex Lunch!**

* * *

Kunou huffed irked as I finished fixing her dress, my eyes sporting a tired and annoyed tone as I wasn't certainly planning to visit this place of the Underworld.

The Phenex Villa was slightly smaller compared to the Gremory mansion, but the whole structure made up with its overall modernity compared to the more antiquate house. Its outer appearance was less refined and less gothic, something that was replaced with an Art Nouveau floral pattern with just a few adjustments that reminded much of modern constructs.

A butler and a maid were there to accompany us and I dreaded the fact I had to accept the invitation for lunch.

It had been unexpected and unplanned, something that I was glad to protest to Azazel but… I had to partake now that stronger attempts for an alliance were being made.

It was a bullshit excuse, one I was more than happy to add to my protestation but the Governor-General hardly cared. It was just 'petty' behavior without much of a proof about it… even though it was Raiser Phenex that was accessory to Diodora for a certain point onward.

It were just two things that got me actually interested in at least putting a formal and well-composed facade as I ventured inside the building. The first being that Baraqiel was going to be there to serve as a helpful companion during the lunch, the second was that the invitation was actually signed 'Ruval Phenex'.

It was kind of odd for the Heir of one of the 72 Pillars to be the one doing the invitations, but I guess an explanation was going to be given by the time we reached the dining room.

The hallways were another proof that the entire building was a far cry from the classic aristocratic style as instead of portraits, there were pictures of family moments. _Normal _family moments.

There was a photo with the three brothers, much younger than now, holding some fishing equipment as their smiling father held what looked to be a 'massive' carp.

Another one framed both Ruval and the middle son of Lord Phenex smiling eagerly while holding a large trophy with some words engraved into it.

'Hell Siblings Competition, 2001'

'**This seems to be quite the… common family.**'

_It seems so._

_**Right now we are seeing achievements and… is that baby Ravel?**_

I almost D'aww'd at that particularly cute picture, almost failing to notice the soft but also adorable snort leaving Kunou's lips.

_**Someone's jelly~.**_

_Aww…_

I patted her shoulder, causing her annoyed golden eyes to turn at me.

"You know, maybe I should ask your mother to see some of your pictures-" I tried to salvage the situation… only to see her snap to look around, a hint of some embarrassment visible from my perspective.

"T-That will not be necessary." The girl replied curtly, trying to avoid getting pulled in that kind of discussion.

"I bet you are 'super-cute' in those~- uh?" Just as I tried to press on, her hand shot to grasp mine to give it a squeeze, causing me to stop.

"Not… now." She ended the discussion, _forgetting to get a promise about… not getting me to see them_.

_**We are SO going to ask for even just a glimpse of those.**_

_Super-chibi Ku-chan!_

We finally arrived in front of two closed doors and both servants moved to carefully open them, revealing the dining room to the two of us.

I blinked once, then twice and… _thrice._

I could see the entire Phenex family already sitting by the particularly long table, Baraqiel was here too, I could also see Sairaorg sitting beside Ruval, staring at me with interest, and I think there was also the 'unnamed Phenex' with his… Fallen Angel wife?

_**It's kind of surprising but… I guess it has to do with the fact there is a 'Grigori diplomat' and they didn't need to fully expose some family issue like this.**_

But as I finished to properly take notice of everyone present in the room, I ended up also seeing how… everyone's clothes was hardly formal. Hell, Lord Phenex was wearing a half-sleeved shirt and jeans while his wife was wearing a blouse and trousers.

Even Baraqiel was wearing informal stuff and… the only one wearing aristocratic-like clothes was Ruval.

My eyes returned briefly to Baraqiel as I finally noted the strange smug smile in his face and-

_He didn't-_

_**He has to. HE was the one that told you to wear formal because it was proper thing.**_

_Revenge will be swift and delivered by Akeno, that's for sure._

And even though I managed to find relief in the fact I was going to get some vindication via indirect means, I started to notice while we were approaching the table, Kunou was dropping deadly glares to the Fallen Angel, causing the man to look away because of the glares' intensity.

The kitsune _did _realize that the reason why she had to wear the dress she had been vocally detested until now was because of… Akeno's affection for her Niichan.

Baraqiel's penance has just tripled in mere moments.

"I bid you a good day, Hoitsu-san and Kunou-san." The head of the Phenex Clan greeted in a semi-formal manner, smiling and appearing fairly relaxed. "I hope the 'walk' to arrive to this humble abode was uneventful and at least normal."

I nodded, giving a polite smile back. "It was peaceful. I wish to extend to Lord Phenex and Lady Phenex a formal thank you for the kind invitation-"

"Even though it was my son that wrote the papers?" The man jokingly asked before sighing. "I admit that after what happened last month, I've relegated a little more work to Ruval. I certainly don't need another… fiasco."

Raiser was staring at the table, he was pale and… flinching at the mere mentioning of what he was implicated into just a few weeks ago. Ravel stared at him for a moment, before fixing her blue eyes back on… Kunou?

The fellow blonde chibi stared back, her irritation was painted in her face and I wonder how much of that the youngest Phenex could understand was directed to the very dress the kitsune was wearing-

**Slam**

I blinked as the aforementioned girl stood up from her chair and slammed her palm on the table, giving a serious look while glancing at her parents. "Mother, father. I wish to lend some of my clothes to Kunou-san."

...What?

The two adults looked surprised too but the woman recovered quickly, giving a warm smile. "Sure thing, little Rae."

I turned to see if the confusion was shared by Kunou but… the girl was smiling happily and nodding at the fellow chibi, slowly taking her leave with Ravel via the hallway we just came from. I stared silently as the two retreated, trying and failing to understand if there was a connection between this… with what happened with Koneko and… Ophis.

_There is some strange pattern-_

_**But nothing truly conclusive. Seriously, why this happens with the chibis?!**_

"I suppose you are trying to understand my little sister's sudden interest in Lady Kunou's dress, Sir Hoitsu." Ruval finally spoke up, drawing my attention to him. "Ravel is rather… perceptive of thoughts presented by young girls her age."

_So this wasn't a thing that happened only with Kunou._

"Oh no, I know about this since… Ku-chan is rather keen to do something similar, Ruval-san." I replied, slowly taking a seat as I gauged the surprise in the Phenex heir's face.

"Truly? Then I suppose you have a strong bond with Lady Kunou. By the way you address her so informally, I can only assume that you are both close to each other." The young man mused loudly and I nodded.

"Ku-chan and I are siblings in all but blood." I answered truthfully, feeling the refreshing sensation of speaking with someone so soft-spoken as him. "We've been living together for a while now and we are that close."

He nodded with a smile, pleased with my reply. "I see." He muttered happily. "Then I can only be glad that you both found each other as I think there is a genuine connection between the two of you. I hope only the best for you both." He concluded with another nod.

"It is quite good to have a strong connection with those you care about." Sairaorg butted in with a small smile. "To cultivate the bonds, to see the bountiful results in the happiness and the joy of those around you."

And I knowing how much the Bael cared for the friends and family around him, I knew his words mattered much more than they sounded. "Thank you for your kind words, Ruval-san and Sairaorg-san-"

"Nothing of that, Hoitsu." The hot-blooded brawler interrupted with a bigger smile. "Call me Sairaorg just as I dropped the formalities with you."

_**A complete difference from Ruval's noble-like attitude.**_

_He is more of a kind giant, very amicable but quite headstrong on tiny pleasantries._

"I understand, Sairaorg." I replied back, getting this time a grin for him.

"Good and… I wanted to ask about that special technique of yours." He blurted with a curious glint from his eyes. "The one with the red aura."

I blinked, realizing what he was alluding to, and nodding in understanding. "You are referring to the 'Kaioken'." I replied calmly. "It's… quite similar to Touki."

I glanced around, noticing that everyone at the table was glancing with interest at this particular topic but, since Baraqiel was giving no hints of keeping quiet, I decided to go ahead with the explanation that was going to happen very soon now.

"I have thought so but… I think there is still a major difference. Can you… explain what is it?" The Bael pressed on.

"Well," I commenced with a calm tone. "The Kaioken is based about boosting the production of energy via the muscles, increasing the input but-"

"Causing major strain upon the body." The young man interjected with an intrigued tone. "The stronger is this technique applied, the bigger the strain will be to guarantee a further major boost of energy." He blinked by the end of his final words and then nodded. "That is quite a taxing technique compared to Touki-"

"But also a very good one if used with moderation." I added quietly, appreciating Sairaorg's capacity to understand the fine details of the Kaioken. "Since I've been having some slight issues in achieving a proper Senjutsu form, Touki has been quite the impossible technique to even try to attain right now."

"And so you preferred the Kaioken." The brawler added once more, his smile still here. "A good way to overcome the obstacle."

That is coming from someone that had trouble with his family because of 'having a large obstacle' that almost got him disowned. I should really be minding how to word some of the topics before I get him angry.

"If I may interrupt," Ruval joined in, looking rather annoyed at the direction the discussion was going. "I've heard about what happened in Tokyo, how you were there to stop the invasion by taking the leader out first." The Phenex mentioned, making me sigh for a moment.

"It was more like Rizevim wanted to fight me." I admitted calmly, drawing the interest of everyone once more. "The man rushed for a battle and I obliged."

"Still, it had to have been quite quite difficult as you were fighting someone stronger than you at the time and… the city was being attacked all at once." The blond pressed on, making me feel a little uneasy.

It's been a while since I've thought about what happened back then and even thinking about the pure pressure I was dealing at the time, the major risk I took…

I still remember being a little afraid of losing everything at that point.

"It was tough." I replied curtly. "But I pulled through and survived."

He nodded and seemed ready to give another question about it much to my chagrin but…

"We are back!" Ravel announced and soon the entire room's attention was on the two young girls.

Kunou was wearing her… usual kimono?

_Where did she get that?_

_**Maybe Ravel has… a kimono like that too?**_

_...I mean, the Phenex are rich but-_

_**Quiet, I want to understand what 'sorcery' is this.**_

They both walked back to the table, looking fairly happy and… mischievous. I frowned, trying to understand what was going on. I wasn't alone as Ruval and Raiser looked confused too, glancing at the eye-closed Ravel.

The kitsune had her eyes closed too and I felt an odd suspicion that this was a prank of sort. Why would Kunou return to wear her usual clothes when…

Why wasn't the girl showing her fox ears? She would at least show those because it was difficult to keep up with the- Oh.

I looked back at the Phenex heir and the middle brother, only to see the realization flashing on their faces too. I nodded at the oldest and he nodded back, silently planning some 'resolution' about this plan in the making.

_Oh my~!_

"So, Ku-chan, do you think that Lith-chan should stop headpatting you? I think she shouldn't do this just to tease you." I lied, getting a confused posture from 'Kunou' and a tense one from 'Ravel'.

The oldest Phenex sibling smiled a little at the idea I had for getting both to give up the little trick.

"By the way, little Rae, do you think that you should be less mean to your younger brother? He is just a year younger than you." Ruval lied back, the phenomenon happening in an opposite pattern.

At this point, Lord Phenex, his wife and Raiser seemed to have realized what was going on, while Sairaorg and Baraqiel quietly enjoyed the chaotic scene unfolding before them.

"L-Lith-chan could be less mean, yes!" 'Kunou' jumped the gun much to her accomplice's dismay and-

"I-I could be a little kinder to him!" 'Ravel' replied confidently, unaware of the shock present in 'Kunou's face.

There were a few moments of silence and then… I decided to burst their faulty plan before things escalated even more.

As much as I wanted to get more fun out of this, I didn't need to over-tease these two cute dummies.

"You two should return to your rightful seat." I stated calmly but loud enough to get both girls' attention. "Still, a really clever plan if it wasn't for some minor flaws."

There was more silence, then Ravel broke from the 'act'. 'Kunou' opened her eyes, blue orbs giving an annoyed glint back at her brother, while 'Ravel's face sported a small pout directed at me.

"H-How did you realize?" The youngest Phenex asked. "I-I thought closing our eyes would have been enough-"

"For just a while." I interrupted mirthfully. "But there are some tell-tale signs that you have completely forgotten about."

The girl frowned. "Such as?"

"Well," I started with a hum. "I think the more important is… that one is a Devil while the other is a Yokai."

"Your energies are different from each other, Little Rae." Ruval added happily. "So it was fairly easy to understand what kind of play was happening by the table."

"There was also the small-planned capacity to keep the act going after a while." Lady Phenex finished with a lovely smirk. "I don't think you would have managed to keep your eyes closed without getting these three to suspect something was off about you two."

Her husband nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I think your big brothers would have noticed their real sisters."

"Mou, then you got out the tricky questions." Kunou whined softly. "Seriously, Lith is too short and she is the one wanting headpats from me."

"A-And I'm the youngest." Ravel continued with a nod. "Y-You could have at least given us a little time to have some fun."

"Sorry, Ravel."

"I ask for you forgiveness, Lady Kunou."

It was at that point that the female Fallen Angel let out a soft giggle. "If I didn't know the relationships those two had with the cuties, I would say they were whipped."

Both Ruval and I looked embarrassed for a moment and the soft giggle was followed by the ones coming from the girls' lips.

_**You kind of are whipped to your Imoutos-**_

_Ophis-_

_**Touché!**_

Moments later, the two girls returned to the proper seats while keeping their current outfit and…

_**It's quite weird to see Kunou cosplay as Ravel and… Ravel cosplay as Kunou.**_

_I wonder if Kunou even knows what a cosplayer is-_

_**Considering that we were in Tokyo for a while, I can only assume she heard about it from someone around.**_

I hummed quietly as moments later the room was stormed by servants that dropped various plates of food on the table. There was… a lot, but it was all food Kunou and I knew about and thus I had little problem about it.

With this discussion settled for the time being, I focused on the food provided for me to eat and decided to let myself at ease for a while.

The lunch began and _**someone fidgeted nervously, hoping that what he had planned to do today would actually come in fruition without any issue.**_

* * *

I managed to recover, the pain had slowly subsided after a full day and my body had finally got hold over the over-production of Dragonic Energy.

My senses were far stronger than those were mere hours ago and my capacity to 'feel' around my general whereabouts was finally caught by Tobio himself.

I was brought in a different room, I could feel numerous seals all connected to the bandages, reinforcing what was already there and further limiting my chances of properly fight if a clash occurred.

While I was certain that SLASH DOG wasn't going to turn all at once against me, I was fairly convinced that punching my way out of this problem wasn't the best solution for this curious situation.

There was silence for a long, the only noises being the surgical table and the breathing of Jin as I was led to this special room.

A few minutes of quiet ensued, I was left deprived also of my capacity to feel the things around me. It was frustrating at first, but after the brutality I had endured until yesterday when I woke up?

Things were far too kind here than back then and thus I let them have all the precautions they wanted before entering in contact with me.

I felt a magical hand forming just above my mouth and I felt it moving the bandages near my lips away. I could now breath freer than before and I continued to wait for more steps.

"What is your name?" A feminine voice demanded.

Lavinia Reni, the Demise Girl and the current owner of the Absolute Demise. The Longinus is considered a perfect counter to Incinerate Anthem for its intense Ice-type magic.

If she wanted, the woman could easily freeze me up and kill me if I showed any malicious intent.

Thus I merely complied.

"H-Hoitsu- Hoitsu Sakaki-bara." My throat was still recovering from resting so much and I chided myself for not expecting some dryness.

More silence, I blinked through the bandages and then… a sigh.

"You are not him." Lavinia pointed out calmly. "I can give you another chance-"

"I'm Hoitsu Sakakibara, codename Hekishoku and member of Grigori." I interrupted with a polite and blank tone.

It was a dangerous step that could easily backfire as in many occasions my counterpart would reveal his identity quite early-

"And why are you so convinced of being 'Hoitsu Sakakibara'?" Tobio spoke out, causing me to express minor surprise through my lower facial features.

"Because I know that there is another one in this dimension. The original one." I added cautiously, hoping to not get sealed back just for suggesting this.

"Your energy is similar to his." Suzaku commented with some interest. "But you have something… a little more similar to Dragons."

I pressed my lips in a thin line, thinking about a proper response and… decided to drop off the formalities.

"That's because I am not from this dimension, Himejima-sama."

Once more silence, fear rising in my chest as my breathing picked up the pace as I waited for a… verdict.

"Explain, 'Sakakibara'-san." Tobio pressed, his tone holding back some anger. An emotion I had predicted, but that also made moving around quite… difficult.

"I used the souls of two dying Dragon Gods to bring myself out of my dimension and in this one." I began to explain. "The energy that remained seeped in my body and altered its biology-"

"Dimensions?" Lavinia mused out-loud. "You mean that you jumped from yours to this one? Why?"

Choices, choices. If I blurted everything, not even the highest deity would save me from a quick death right now.

"My… former dimension was dying. I tried to break a loop imposed by-"

"Lucifer." Tobio interrupted, causing me to tense up at the fact _he knew _about the loops.

"H-How-" I tried to ask but was beaten by someone else.

"Azazel released some confidential information about it after the recent encounter between _our_ Hoitsu and Rizevim." Suzaku replied calmly, yet I could feel some relief in her voice. "So that means that-"

"How did you gain two dying souls powerful enough to get the dimension-hopping spell to work." Lavinia demanded strongly. "I know for sure that not even Dragon Gods can provide that much energy-"

"Trihexa."

The word was a taboo and I was granted some more time to think about the matter.

This dimension's Hoitsu and Rizevim were allied? It was a curious development but… a welcomed one. Maybe this Rizevim wasn't going to mess shit up like in the last one.

"You said two-" Lavinia wanted to push for more, but Suzaku jumped in with a gasp.

"T-Then that foul presence back then… the one that Hoitsu needed help to vanquish-"

...What?

Did she just- no, it couldn't be.

"What are you talking about, Suzaku-chan?" Tobio asked confused and the woman spoke once more.

"When we first met Hoitsu-kun, he was suffering from some foul manipulation. It was incredibly difficult at first as the presence was much stronger than any of the seals I had prepared and… he beat it back within his mindscape."

He- This was a _boon!_

Lucifer theorized that Trihexa was made by a growing consciousness within his own, something that eluded early analysis and that formed through the presence of negativity within the soul-

But then that meant that this dimension's Hoitsu didn't have a Trihexa within himself, rendering Lucifer's plan half-useless already.

It was now the proper moment to just… take him down when he returned. Trying to avoid its resurrection wouldn't be convenient. _**Lucifer has to die!**_

"We've pretty much confirmed that you are a 'Hoitsu', but I wish to ask you something, _Hoitsu-san_." The leader of the group stated much to my initial confusion and soon… I felt dread.

"_**How many people did you have to kill to gain these two souls?**_"

***You feel your sins crawling on your back.**

I sighed heavily, feeling all those lives weighting my entire soul down and… I let out a genuine answer about it.

"Too many. Far too many."

…

"You know that I can't let you out of sight after you just admitted this." The bartender said with an odd tone.

I tried to nod but… I forgot how tight the bandages were. So I sighed. "Yes."

"But I know that imprisoning you would make their sacrifice worth." He continued to say. "Thus I think we can come up with a compromise."

The magical hand returned, pulling away the bandages covering my eyes and giving me back some more perception over the situation. The first thing I noticed was the mask being hovered above my face.

It was just like the one I had back when I was Hekishoku… except it was a dark-shade of red rather than the bright emerald.

"What do you think of this..." Tobio asked softly. "Tasatsu-san?"

* * *

**AN**

**More about our nutty Hoitsu in SLASH/DOG: Tasatsu no Gaiden!**

**Tasatsu (****他殺****): Murder, homicide, killing, assassination, annihilation.**

**Alas about the upper bits of the chapter: The Lunch is far from over and yes, there will be more fluff about it!**

**P.S. I really want to see Hazbin Hotel Episode 2 rn.**

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Scrumblenut****: I think the cold would have had an easier time getting me but… yeah, I don't mind a little bit of blunt honesty. It genuinely makes for the funniest things to hear.**

**MasterBlade47****: BT!Hoitsu is with SLASH DOG right now. The Amnesiac is actually someone that was being 'protected' by Azrael and now is free. Prepare to see some divine epicness.**


	63. Plans were Made

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 62: Plans were Made**

* * *

Kuroka stared quietly as Shirone tried to complete the experimental technique.

It has been… some interesting days the one that followed the diplomatic meeting as some the pace once more returned stale as it was just hours prior to the event. There wasn't much to do other than poke her head around, looking for anything intriguing or even remotely amusing.

Things were just… that dull.

Training was nice for a while, but then the lack of her usual sparring partner did leave a strange sense of annoyance in Kuroka. The kind of annoyance one would have when dealing with the lack of fun stuff to do.

With Hoitsu gone for the first half of that day, the young woman found herself lacking anything to do for the time being.

Quite an irritating situation to deal without her romantic interest as he was the only one able to give her something to do for the rest of the day.

Something that could keep her busy and interested at the same time, something that could help her in the long-term plan she decided to implement after the developments that have been unfolding until very recently.

It's been a long time now that they hadn't gone for a date, two weeks actually. A detail that further soured the dark-haired Nekoshou's mood as _she needed to get some progress made._

There was a proper agreement with the two other girls that had stated they were romantically invested with the young man, something that mostly erased any chance of rivalry that could one way or another screw with her attempts.

Kuroka was ready, confident and determined to score something out from the next step of her plan. Things were set, she had rehearsed this crucial move with the help of Akeno and Akua, partly intrigued by the possibility of integrating the vampire in what was going to happen very soon.

Hoitsu was distracted, completely unaware that what would seemingly pass like a simple sparring session would end up in a… more interesting session.

Nothing sexual for now, but a predicament that would allow the trio to extort some specific promises out from the ever-elusive Sakakibara.

Nothing too forceful, but also something that would push him to accept their demands without hesitation. It was a matter of tact and persuasion, something the woman was proudly a master of both.

The only flaw being the hesitation the youngest and the broodier of the bunch would have regarding some 'big plans' like the one Kuroka wanted to accomplish.

Amateurs of the more intimate details of love, with only the Himejima having some partial experience with the anatomy of both men and women… from indirect sources.

The Shuzen was forgiven just a bit, having mentioned how this was the first time she felt attracted to someone. Tall words, but considering the young woman's past, the Nekoshou wasn't as skeptical as she would be if the case had been a normal one.

The case is never normal, the dark-haired woman wished to remind to her ever-working brain.

Yet said instrument within her body was clashing, two necessities starting to get annoyingly conflicting as she found her whole attention divided between those thoughts and… her sister's training.

After what happened in the diplomatic meeting- _After seeing how Kunou had gotten far with her training_, Shirone decided that it was high time to pace up her usual training regime, hiring Kuroka's help in getting her new schedule well-planned and ready to yield some good results.

The woman was certain that the silver-haired girl would have easily out-powered the blonde in a regular fight. It would be a close match, but her Shiro-chan was just getting that stronger.

The partial transformation Hoitsu's loyal step-sibling had sported just a few days ago was something that Kuroka had already tried to attain back when she was younger, but after what happened with her… _former peerage, _she ended up forgetting about this and focused on issues that pressed on her at the time.

Now that she had some… safety and some time to spare, achieving this boost proved to be far more easier than planned.

It was… amazing.

The raw power and the overall improvement of strength, speed and perception was an optimal result, something that definitively helped with the incoming threats along the way…

But there were two major issues about it.

Differently from normal Senjutsu, which draws from natural energy scattered all around the planet, the** Wild Frenzy** was a form that strained to a dangerous degree the entire body of the user, increasing the chances of muscles' painful swelling and over-production of energy within the core.

The second and possibly the most infamous flaw that user could easily lose their mind during this state. It was a situation that could happen just in two occasion, the first being if the user lacks proper control over their mind, the latter one could be caused by a situation of intense duress.

Quite the problematic cons to this impressive ability, but Kuroka was more than determined to get this crucial technique down and within her repertoire. It was important for… what was going to happen later that day.

Shirone took a little more time to get the basis done, yet the pacing was still acceptable and promising. The younger Nekoshou was cautious in her eagerness, something that persisted even after opening up… so much.

It was odd to say but, Kuroka was glad that her little considered found another sibling in Hoitsu.

Not only it_ eased_ her attempts to get his affection, but the silver-haired kitty found once more the balance she was deprived when… the woman decided to go rogue after killing her opportunistic Master.

She sighed tiredly, pushing back the memories of that dreadful day away by having her whole attention shifted at Shirone.

The girl was sweating, her breathing was slightly irregular but the young warrior wasn't showing any sign of backing away from the challenge.

It was a matter of pride for the girl. It was to show that she was still a senpai and… stronger than her kohai. Kunou was unaware of the stirring emotions, Koneko's need to prove her worth to her younger friend, and thus actions had to speak instead of mere words.

Kuroka blinked as her golden slits spotted the clock and… it was starting to get a little tardier than planned. The woman stood up from the floor and silently walked towards the small rune carved on the wall nearby where her sister was training. Removing the energy, the system quickly deactivated, disabling the attacks and leaving a confused Shirone to frown at her.

"It's… that late?"

"We are an hour late for lunch." The dark-haired girl replied. "I think Hoitsu left some food in the fridge, it will take a few minutes to get it warm and ready."

The younger sibling nodded and the two walked out of the training arena, slowly making their way to the living room and…

The table was mostly devoid of people.

Akeno was there, Lith and Ophis silently helping her in picking up the plates to take those to the kitchen's sinks. The Himejima paused to nod and greet the two, receiving two more nods in return.

"I've prepared the food for you, but I think the dishes are cooler than a few minutes ago-" The girl tried to explain.

"We will survive." Kuroka mirthfully interjected. "Still, thank you for the kindness. We will personally bring the plates to the kitchen once we are done." She concluded, getting the fellow girl to retreat away from the room and… leaving just the two of them by the table.

"Curious." Shirone commented softly, picking her usual seat and glancing at the still-steaming steak, her lips watering and her belly growling a little at the rediscovered hunger.

A tiny but teasing smile appeared on the older sibling's face, the woman taken mostly distracted from acting upon the opportunity as she did feel too the need of eating something.

"What is curious, Shiro-chan?" The dark-haired Nekoshou asked quietly, drawing a quick glance from her sister.

"Just finding the… fact we are alone, interesting." The girl admitted, taking the first bite out of her steak before continuing. "It brings back some… memories."

Kuroka had to put some effort to not flinch at that specific reference. "You mean when we used to live together, just the two of us?" Part of her wanted to deflect the topic, feeling rather nervous of discussing about that early period of her life.

The silver-haired teen nodded. "I remember how you were always fretting all over the kitchen to get something done to leave me for lunch and dinner." She mused calmly, slowing down her eating process. "You were always… moving fast."

It was when the frequency of contracts assigned to her turned to an unbearable level. It was a miracle of sort that she didn't collapse by how many things she had to face on a daily occurrence.

"It was difficult, yes." The woman admitted with some hesitation pending over her tongue. "But the money was good enough to keep us living in a comfortable fashion."

Shirone smiled, her cat ears twitching happily at that. "I don't think I ever thanked you for-"

"Nonsense, Shiro-tan~!" The older Nekoshou jumped in with a smirk. "It was my job as your Oneesan to have my imouto to live a good life."

The silver-haired girl nodded. "But still… I wish to ask something from you. Something about… Hoitsu-nii." Her voice started to get… softer, frailer.

The young woman frowned. "Something I should be concerned of?"

"Nothing… dangerous." The young sister promised. "It's… about what you wish to do when he comes back from the important lunch."

Kuroka tensed up a little, her smirk falter just a mere instant but… it was enough to reveal her surprise. The plan was supposed to be known only by the three girls interested in Hoitsu, how did Shiro-chan got hold of this sensitive info.

"I don't know what you-"

"_Neesan,_ I remind you that I have these." She pointed at the cat ears that she was nowadays showing more than a month ago. "And you aren't particularly good at keeping things 'whispered' between the others."

The woman pouted, arms crossing beneath her generous bosom. "I can be quiet when I want and… what do you wish to tell me about it?" She ended in an interested tone.

"Hoitsu-nii… I hope you now know that he isn't someone keen in any unwarranted… perverted act." The girl spoke, drawing her sister's confusion.

"I know that. That's why I will be careful with the plan-"

"It's not that." Shirone nervously interrupted. "It's… about something I wish to gift to you, Neesan."

Golden slits narrowed on the hesitant mess known as Shirone Toujou.

"Shiro-tan~! What are you hiding from me?" Kuroka pressed on, trying to get any hints about what was going on with her sister.

Then, the girl replied with a clear answer. "Kunou and I decided to host a sleepover by her room for tonight, that means that Hoitsu will be alone..." There was a brief pause. "I want you to try and-"

"I could ask that to him, but I think it's up to him first and… can I ask why are you interested about my progress so suddenly?" The teasing tone had little effect as the teen merely nodded.

"I… I want him to become my real Oniisan." Koneko admitted with a small blush on her cheeks. "I- I want to make it official and-"

"Ara Ara, is someone trying to use her kind Oneesan to get her surrogate Oniisan for herself?" The dark-haired Nekoshou chuckled teasingly, while the sibling panicked.

"I-It's not like that!" She exclaimed, mouth open and ready to continue, Shirone paused and frowned at the half-devoured steak. "I… I just want to spend some more time with him."

"Aw… I think someone is suffering from some 'neglect', even though he was there all over helping you yesterday."

The girl's blush flared back once more at that reminder as Hoitsu did spend some hours trying to help the silver-haired Nekoshou to properly channel her energy for the **Wild Frenzy**.

"It's just that… I don't want it to be training." The teen admitted. "I want to… to..."

"'To be spoiled as my Kohai is!', I can see that being a good reason since you have to be frustrated by this much training and… I will see what I can do." The woman promised, getting a shaky smile from the chibi in front of her.

"T-Thank you, Neesan-"

"Oh, there is no need to thank me." She smiled smugly. "After all, you just gave me the chance to get some real progress done and… I can also promise you that at least two nieces will come out because of your 'lovely' support-"

"N-NEESAN!"

Giggles filled the living room, while plates went flying and _Koneko gave chase to a laughing Kuroka all over the house. _

* * *

Somehow, I survived the astonishing menu deployed in what was supposed to be a normal dinner for the Phenex Clan.

The Devils looked all fine, the only exceptions, excluding me, being a very cautious Baraqiel that left more than half of the share of food given to him and Kunou looking rather tired by eating so much and using Fox Fire to consume faster the delicious treats.

_Revel_ Phenex's wife seemed to be doing fine, even asking if there was a little more to… help with her cravings. The comment was enough to draw attention to her stomach and… how big it was.

_**Maybe that's why they were actually invited. It isn't unusual for a family to reconnect if there is a child soon to be born.**_

It was difficult to discern how many months before the babe would be born by the partly-exposed belly but… I could only assume she was five or more months pregnant.

With the food finished, the discussions resumed with less-important topics, switching to a family-related situation rather than the stiffy situation I had to deal prior of the food being delivered.

My information regarding the warmth shared within the family members of the clan was expanded with some funny and embarrassing tales being dispensed by Lady Phenex, much to the four Phenex siblings as they were all subjected to the horror of having their 'childhood secret' exposed by their mother.

The woman was relentless, always wearing that happy and carefree smile while describing each of her children's naughty moments without hesitation, nor doubt.

Just like… mom used to do.

_**Nononono! We aren't having any nostalgic remembrance right now, we aren't in a proper spot to recollect those thoughts.**_

_I know but… it's not my fault that-_

_**We miss home. We will always miss it as it is… well, it is still home to us.**_

Ravel and Revel were the one suffering the worst, the former being the youngest and the latter having his own wife tell her own embarrassing tales about her lover.

It was overall a very amusing spectacle of scenes between the various members of the warm family that I found extremely amusing and interesting, an emotion that was shared by the other guests.

The Lady paused a moment, giving a serious look at Sairaorg before sighing calmly. "By the way, little Sai, is Misla's condition improving or-" She tried to ask tactfully.

"She is responding a little better with the latest solution. The doctors say that she has now higher chances of waking up." The Bael interrupted, his tone missing just a few notes of boisterousness the man had been boasting until now.

It was that very interaction that brought me some… important info I had forgotten about.

Misla Bael, née Vapula, was the first wife of Lord Bael and… Sairaorg's mother.

The only individual that cared for him from the very beginning, driving him to become stronger for the sake of good rather than revenge. A kind soul that was sadly confined in a comatose state even now.

It's not truly specified what kind of coma she ended up into and how it truly works, the only knowledge about it being that it was something that happened to Devil… rather commonly. Like a disease that generally ended with… the patient's death.

_We should try and see if we can cure her._

_**If we get some medical books from the Underworld, that is a possibility… but I don't think we should lift his hopes right now. The chances of finding a cure are… slim at best.**_

_I… I see._

It wasn't because I could cash in some secret favor with the Bael Heir, but I felt like someone like Sairaorg deserved that kind of happiness. He was the pure example of a character that perfectly represented the classic Anime hero, with proper backstory and reasoning.

Just like it… happened to Baki. The Hanma did start as a rude brat, but after losing his mother because of Yujiro, the youth started to train until he was able to beat the man once and for all. Yet during that journey, that vengeful mentality softened to a calmer and powerful behavior.

It wasn't revenge any longer, it was a matter of common justice.

Thus, feeling rather unwilling to give up on the topic, I decided to join in before the discussion resumed properly. "Sairaorg, can I ask you something personal?"

Violet eyes narrowed on me, his face sporting a confident smile. He was surely aware that the mere mentioning of his mother was going to bring some interest on him, a sore button that just waited to be pressed before apocalypse truly began.

"If it's not overly-rude, go ahead." He answered quietly, a contrast compared to mere moments ago.

I nodded. "The reason you fight, you train, you go forward so confidently..." I muttered with utter clarity and determination. "It's your mother, isn't it?"

There was a sudden tension coming from the bulky youth, silence preceding the heavy answer… and then-

"It is." Sairaorg replied curtly. "Why?" He added with a hint of annoyance.

"It's an admirable reason." I replied without hesitation, smiling at his confusion. "Fighting for those you care for. For those that cares back and..." I blinked, my smile widening. "It makes me eager to ask for a spar with you, Sairaorg."

His eyes widened, shock plastered all over his face as he tried to make sense of my words and…

_Then he smiled brightly and nodded._ "We could organize something in the near future. Do you wish for it to be a single fight or do you wish to bring your friends too-"

"For good reasons, I think it's best for it to be a single fight." I grimaced a little. "The group I'm leading isn't like a peerage and they are… not based connected to the rating system."

The young man nodded. "Fair enough. I guess the fun will be only between us, then." He muttered with a small smirk.

After that, with this good development set to properly unfold on a latter date, I expected the event to conclude uneventfully, most of the interesting topics having already been explored earlier that day.

But just like it happened to me on a normal basis, an unexpected situation crashed before I could see it arriving.

Until that specific point, Raiser had been quite keen to keep away from the spotlight, fidgeting here and there during the whole lunch. As the chat with Sairaorg concluded, the young man sighed and nodded to herself.

"S-Sakakibara-san?" He asked with a shaky tone, my attention directed at him as I glanced his way.

He flinched momentarily at the sudden look, but seemed to recover pretty quickly as he continued to speak. "I-I wish to ask you if- If it's possible for me to request… something from you."

I frowned, feeling some anger growing even though I couldn't exactly pinpoint any arrogance from him. The 'question' was formulated wrong, possibly because of how nervous he looked right now.

I decided to bite the bait. "You may ask."

He nodded, his eyes avoiding maintaining direct contact with me. "I know that I-I've been part, an accessory of what happened a-at the Gremory Mansion, of that I am deeply mortified and guilty of, but I wanted to ask if… I could seek some apprenticeship from you."

_What?_

_**What the actual fuck!?**_

"I-I understand if the request might sound extremely foolish, b-but the reason I'm asking you is..." He sighed, glancing at his plate and then… he went to glance right at me. "I wish to become a… better person. What happened, how things devolved in that… terrible ordeal. I know I can't fix it with simple words, with fake apologies and smiles. I wish… to truly have a chance to improve upon my being and… become a better living being."

There was silence at the table at that lengthy, stutters-free explanation and… I found myself shocked by the genuine tone assumed by Raiser.

I knew that after a few volumes, the man would turn out to be a good guy… but the way he was proving this much so early on was completely unexpected. I felt legitimately weirded out for a moment but… soon I decided to look more into it.

"You wish to 'improve' yourself?" I parroted quietly. "Is there any other reasons other than the one you mentioned?"

His mouth opened, but no words came. His cheeks reddened and he closed his trap down, contemplating the following words carefully.

"I… I know that…" He stopped again, breathing as he tried to normalize his heartbeat. "When… when things 'settled down', I realized how much of an issue I created with my poor understanding of the situation, how much danger I put on my family and my peerage. I wish… to become better in understanding if there is some… hesitation from people I know about, to act properly about it."

_...Shit, I think someone in his peerage spoke up about the matter. That would explain why-_

_**He look like he just received the worst news possible. I bet there is some distrust about them now that the escalation was properly identified and told.**_

It was an odd request… but not an unbelievable one.

Still, I couldn't certainly have him join in without any guarantee and-

"H-Hoitsu-san, I know that my… my son caused this much trouble," Lord Phenex stood up, looking serious. "But I beg you to consider the situation as my child's intentions are genuine. The Phenex Clan will be in debt with you."

There was silence and… I was put on a very difficult decision.

_This… this is going to be a long day._

_**I can already feel a headache coming your way from here…**_

_Thank the Gods that I've nothing else to do once this lunch is done. Bed, here I come~!_

* * *

**AN**

**Koneko feeling neglected! THIS IS A TRAGEDY WITHOUT PRECEDENTS!**

**Unleash the Chibi-Kraken! (Kingprotea comes out of a bush and roar an adorable 'Gao!')**

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Na2s: Right now? Close friends. Next chapter will bring… some changes to these dynamics.**

**MasterBlade47: BT!Hoitsu is still recovering from the aftermath of his 'brief story' and yes, his unsealed version would kick MT!Hoitsu without any issue.**

**Kolo555: Ya know, I want to say I'm angry at you… but the only thing I feel is… pity. Not only your review is terribly worded, but I hope your situation is better than mine. I don't care if this sounds like some lie to you or not, but I hope you have a long and happy life. Ciao.**


	64. Out-tricked

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 63: Out-tricked**

* * *

Akua was feeling rather conflicted about the plan.

This inner knot was born right by the time her ears finished listening to the steps that made up the idea proposed by the dark-haired Nekoshou.

It was shaky at best, the most important requirement being the surprise element that would be provided by the seemingly normal spar. Even after trained harder than usual, the vampire held some uncertainty over the realization of the over-ambitious plot but…

The rewards were intriguing and the Black Deva couldn't certainly deny how much slow her progress was with Hoitsu Sakakibara. Affection towards someone outside from her family felt… odd, yet somehow familiar.

The connection had the same intensity as the love Akua directed to her beloved Moka, the only major difference being that the young man obtained her interest through his actions rather than mere existence.

Something curious, something that warmed her when she thought too much about it and… her red eyes fluttered at the ceiling as she tried to act innocently while sitting on the floor of the training area.

Hoitsu had just returned from the visit to the Phenex Clan, tired but not exhausted enough to refuse Kuroka's simple request.

The wording was the key behind the acceptance, the young woman beginning by addressing how both had grown a lot by sparring intensively with each other and that 'they' wanted to try out the results gained on a proper fight… with him.

There was minor surprise, the emotion driven by the request itself, but he was quick to accept with a genuine smile.

There was relief in knowing the two girls had indeed ended up becoming good friends, something that still confused the vampire herself to this very day, and interest in seeing himself the result yielded by the close interactions.

For a moment, Akua was glad that Kahlua had decided to stay by their new house so she could tend some more to little 'Pepper'. The pet's name took the tanned vampire a while to truly find from various other options, but the girl was now happy to have formally named the cat with an adorable name.

The kitty was odd, knowing that approaching the eldest Shuzen sister required caution and quiet, happily rewarded with getting its head stroked by her pale hand.

Very wise for a tiny animal, but the former assassin connected this behavior to refined instincts as those generally kept wild creatures away from possible harm.

Returning to the current situation unfolding, Akua quietly stared at Hoitsu, the young man having taken his usual stance while Kuroka let out a brief giggle. "By the way, Hoitsu-kun, can we make a little bet between the three of us? Something non-sexual, mind you."

He blinked, his position relaxing a moment to accommodate the instance of confusion born from that sudden question.

"If it's not something sexual… sure, why not." He shrugged, returning to a more serious outlook. "Still, I would have to think what you two should do when you lose."

Not arrogance, over-confidence. The Black Deva had seen this level of bravado before and she knew that these words weren't totally unfounded, just influenced by the lack of major defeats for the young man.

Something that hopefully was going to change today.

The dark-haired Nekoshou huffed at his reply, her energy spiking just a little more and 'showing off' some genuine interest in winning that 'important' fight.

Both girls were ready when… the signal was given and the battle began.

Hoitsu was slightly faster than her now in his Senjutsu form, yet he was rather cautious in showing off the form without a major reason and… that is where the trick lied. By keeping her pace slower than normal, Akua knew that the young man wasn't going to 'escalate' the situation without a motivation to do so.

That single trick was coupled with Kuroka's own ideas regarding the spar. Being a proficient spell-caster, the woman knew what kind of spell could be used to quietly weaken Hoitsu and… those proved to be mostly effective.

Being already tired, the young man was hardly noticing any semi-transparent attack directed at him, especially with the vampire giving him something else to focus on by relentlessly attacking him.

Her styles intermixing as she tried to seriously get her opponent from noticing what spells were being cast on him.

Soon, his actions started to get sloppier and his entire martial form lost some of its original discipline.

The chance to land some more attacks on his weakened state was brief, but enough to allow Akua to properly land some noticeable hits.

"S-So… that's what you are planning to do, isn't it?!" His voice brought noise to the quiet reprieve, calling out the trickery happening in that mere spar.

It was when the girl noticed the infamous strings of magic, **The Silver Lining** Hoitsu's was 'known' for, starting to wrap around her arms- or at least trying to do so and failing once she enabled her Jigen-Tou, the strings cut without issue.

Yet his plan wasn't to merely delay, but to have the vampire busied as he focused on the real 'danger' for him.

Kuroka was quick to realize this too, backing away from direct confrontation and promptly setting short-term traps to stop his assaults… only to scoff as the young man flared his Senjutsu mode… and Akua _noticed that he was still weaker than her._

Could it be that the spells had done more than planned?

She didn't question it, nor she paused from going to intercept their opponent, ready to help her ally in her time of need.

Her quick feet granted her an immediate re-engagement, forcing Hoitsu to once more focus on her rather than getting himself freed from the current spells limiting his power. He was frowning, a silent scowl plastered on his face, but the former assassin wasn't certainly going to reply to that silent demand, preferring to refuse her now-annoyed leader.

Another fist landed on his cheek, making him take a few step backs. He looked terribly angry, but seemed to be doing well in keeping his irritation on check as the two girls continued with the simple but incredibly effective pattern.

A kick drove into his belly and… **he exploded in red**.

Red eyes blinked over the barely-visible aura surrounding the young man's body, yet her mind was quick to assess how dangerous this technique was. A strong boost that gave to the user an impressive amount of energy.

The tide turned as her attacks were met with doubled effort from her opposition, soon getting the girl to back away in a defensive stance. The difference between their overall strength was now bigger than before and… a strong punch slammed on her chest.

Coughing, Akua deflected the following strikes, her arms still strained by the action but managing well against the faster hits she was dealing with.

The Kaioken was something she had long tried to think a counter of for this specific occasion, bringing up this matter to people that could help her to develop a possible deterrent and… many were clueless about it.

Hoitsu was keen to keep quiet over the details that made most of the technique, only limiting its description to a mere 'self-boosting technique'.

The vampire gritted her teeth in mild-annoyance and pain, her guard matching in a futile fashion with another powerful punch. Soon, her hand slithered by his extended arm, trying to land another hit and-

She blinked as she realized some more info… from touching his muscles. Those were twitching, swelling in unexpected tension while the opponent continued to send attack after attack.

It was… strange and… soon she connected the dots.

While Akua had hardly studied anatomy on a scientific basis, she knew enough to know that the condition currently happening within his muscles was… abnormal for him.

And that meant only that… the Kaioken worked with the muscles. Maybe it increased the energy input with-

It could be possible. An interesting way to temporary improve the user's capacity to fight… but she knew what kind of weakness was easily exposed to her, her mind picking quickly the perfect style to properly disable Hoitsu.

Three precise chops in specific bits of both arms' muscles did the trick, closing down the magical coils available on the limbs and…

**Thud**

The young man groaned, his body having tensed up and stilled at the sudden rupture of the Kaioken, the stress forcing him to fall on the floor.

Akua blinked, minor relief washing as Kuroka reached for them and the two girls picked the defeated opponent off the floor.

"T-That was really amazing- but seriously, next time we should set up some good limits before… I end up like this." He huffed calmly, looking ready to fall asleep any moment now.

"And spoil our fun?" The Nekoshou pointed out. "I admit we were going quite strong, but I did appreciate some good action after so much inactivity and… now it's time to cash that little bet-"

"Nothing sexual-" He interrupted curtly, getting a nod from both girls.

"Of course," The cat-eared woman agreed. "But I wish you understand that, since there are two victors, there are going to be two favors that will be stated."

He blinked. "Hold up-"

"Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, you will take me, Akua and Akeno to a proper date, one that will go just a little more time after lunch." The girl continued without hesitation, shifting her golden gaze to the vampire. "While Akua-chan~-"

It wasn't difficult to understand that Kuroka wanted her to speak about that 'important' demand. Something that had been born from recent developments and all thanks to Kunou's and Koneko's kindness.

But… it was… embarrassing.

Seriously, she had been expecting to lose rather than face this situation and yet… she had to.

Not only for herself and her interest regarding Hoitsu, but also for Kuroka and Akeno. The Himejima was a new addition to her repertoire of 'friends', an individual that was much easier to talk to compared to the Nekoshou. Immensely so.

Her face flushed a soft pink, a restrained blush as she nodded slowly and prepared to deal with the predicament.

"K-Kuroka and I will share the bed in your room… with you there too." Her ears twitched the moment she finished, trying to grasp for any vocal reaction from the sole man in that room.

Hoitsu blinked once, then twice and… he sighed. "Cuddles-only?"

A smug grin appeared on the cat-girl's face. "Cuddles-only~."

And even though the reply was a positive one and Akua was promised a soon-to-happen session of… cuddles, her stomach felt knotting once more.

This time the reason of her nervousness attached to the fact… she was going to share a be, an intimate act that Akasha had described as a proof of love between two or more individuals, with the three individuals she had grown close to in the last few weeks.

The vampire could easily remember the bleak thoughts that had plagued her mind after what had happened with Fairy Tale and Alucard, her chances of redeeming herself and properly close that dark chapter of her life looking rather nonexistent.

But now that things had changed so much, her mind was keen to give her some… interesting thoughts.

Her cheeks_ finally reddened_ and her hold lessened in response at the lack of focus on keeping the young man up, something that Kuroka felt immediately as she perceived the sudden shift of weight to her.

"A-Akua-chan! He is falling!" The girl screeched, causing her sparring partner to 'wake' up and notice that Hoitsu was slowly descending back to the floor. Red eyes widened as the vampire panicked but managed to pick him up in time.

"S-Sorry. I was-"

"Thinking about tonight~?" The Nekoshou cheekily pointed out, drawing another full blush from the usually stoic girl. "Worry not, Akua-chan! I, Kuroka-sama, shall show you how to cuddle by… using this willing Hoitsu here."

There was some noise coming from the barely-awake young man, his voice muffled by the fact it was being pressed carefully onto the cat-girl's bosom.

"Now, let's go to the living room and have him lying on some of the couches. From there I will show you how to- and how to-"

The woman continued to speak even after they left the training area, her words turning into fuel for her longest blush yet.

_**Still, she would end up cherishing those lessons as… Hoitsu did felt warm in that odd but lovely position and… sleepy form.**_

* * *

If someone asked Sapphire, daughter of Lucifer and one of the fiercest generals in the Underworld, about why she had decided to spend the few days after the meeting by training and relaxing with her nieces, the only thing they would get was a snort and a glare.

Mind your own business!

Mio and Maria, both girls had potential that was starting to show now more than ever, were showing incredible progress in learning how to control their respective magical attributes.

Special attention was given to the eldest, the young redhead having obtained from her dying father the power to manipulate gravity itself.

Something that was unique, praised by Lucifer himself when he was alive and watching over his own family.

Every member of the original Morningstar Clan family had a very rare and powerful ability.

Rizevim can deny the usage of a Sacred Gear and Wilbert could manipulate gravity itself;

Sapphire was also special as her trait was the closest to her father, the ability of Reset having diluted but persisted in the form of Space-Time manipulation to a large-scale degree.

There was a reason why the troops assigned to her during the Great War were one of the few successful ones, her capacity to **rule** over the battlefield with her immense power was recognized as a rightful treat from both Grigori and Heaven.

...And that is how she ended meeting **her.**

That night- she could still remember how painful the first attack was.

The blast obliterated a good portion of her first line, sending her flying for several meters and… she actually felt surprise and giddiness at the newest obstacle to her path.

Earthquakes washed over the land around her as the _beautiful creature _with pristine white wings landed before her. A single kneeling that ended with her rushing coldly towards her.

Lance met battle-axe, the ground melting because of the heat and pressure of the clash.

Green orbs mixed with reds, duty matched with fury as the two women rushed to the fight, earnestly craving for the death of the other.

It was intense, a morbid dance that endured for several days. Her armor cracked under the pressure, her enemy's suffering a similar fate.

The War grew quiet just for them, everything going silent and blank as they continued with their seemingly-endless duel of emotions.

Gone were the initial purposes, gone was the long-term interest of this fighting.

A battle that lived out of battle itself, something that intrigued, that tempted Sapphire to continue to the very end. Her core burned brightly, just like her enemy's.

It was… an epiphany that vibrated through her entire body, gnawing at her to perpetrate within eternity itself.

The end of that battle, _she could never forget about it_, her eyes would widen up as the Angel broke through her defense, sporting a different demeanor than until moments before.

A smile, a candid thing that rendered her face difficult to stare as… it was like light itself. She got even closer and then… she kissed her.

Thunderous drums rumbled within her chest- no, it was her heartbeat picking up an unnatural pacing, trying to overcome the senseless action the General of Hell… actually found likable.

"You are doing this for love, aren't you?" The gorgeous Angel mused softly, her smile widening by the time the kiss was over. "It's all written all over your face, Shining Sapphire."

Her wings flapped, the being disappearing in a white blur but now before whispering the chance of meeting once more.

Returning to… base turned out to be a slow walk. So many thoughts, so many confusing and conflicting theories about what happened, about who dared to steal such a precious treasure from hers and…

Lucifer was the most infuriating individual for that period.

Her father was loving to his family, rather stern but still cared enough to make sure everyone was alright in that tumultuous time. Yet, this kindness was matched by his manner of teasing people around him, especially his children.

Sapphire wasn't spared some heavy laughs regarding her confusion, the man going as far as 'planning to end the war just to match-make her with this curious Angel'.

Irking, but also lacking any serious reprimand for 'interacting intimately with the enemy', the leader of the Underworld reminding her that she wasn't responsible of this act and thus was quickly forgiven without any issue.

From this very discussion, the name of this strange being was provided.

"To think that God would really go as far to deploy Proto-Angels." The white-haired man thought out-loud. "Creatures born from Angel's biology mixed with human's, an attempt to integrate adapting capacities to the superior body and mind of an Angel… beings worth some study and interest."

Proto-Angels, beings deemed by their leaders as inferior soldiers, yet the fight, that emotion…

Raphaeline. A memorable word that burned in her brain, that persisted to the very present. A word that painted her happy when she spotted the woman on the following skirmish.

She didn't bother with the pleasantries, jumping moments after sighting the flying warrior and… smirking right in front of her face.

The holy creature smiled back, both females greeting each other silently before the Devil pressed forward and… landed a peck on the angelic lips.

A quick kiss, confirming a bond of rivals that would outlast even the War itself.

Their connection grew, their fighting soon replaced by words, questions and answers. Nothing sensitive, all personal and… Sapphire _started to love her company even more._

A kindred soul that wandered through the War, scorned by both sides and yet smiling at the adversities.

A breath-taking determination that only emboldened Lucifer's only daughter to pursue more the intriguing individual. Kisses turned in warm hugs and… then their rivalry turned in a whole new relationship.

Gone were the barrier, their sworn secrecy loyally kept as they enjoyed the peace between battles.

For someone that was at the time hot-headed and driven by the lust for a proper fight, Sapphire discovered the calm of silence, the joy of speaking with someone that shared so much in common.

Yet… the War ended and so did the visits from Raphaeline.

Her mother answered to her confusion-driven queries. Widowed and tired, Lilith was still capable of keeping stability in Hell for some time while also dispensing answers to her child.

"Proto-Angels… are not meant to live with the peace just signed, my lovely gem." The kind woman replied softly. "Michael wouldn't certainly push for it, but a majority of Angels openly dislike the 'inferior beings' lingering there. Your rival is surely… long gone now."

When her father was confirmed dead, Sapphire cried for two whole days… when the news of Raphaeline's death was given to her by her remaining parent, Sapphire mourned for months, never leaving for a moment from her room.

Hell's government fell on itself, a revolt sparking from those tired of the aggressive lines of the leaders and promptly ousting them after a civil war.

Wilbert had left earlier than the conflict erupted, the tired female General following behind and joining him in forming an independent group within the Underworld.

Time passed and… Rizevim 'betrayed' them.

Seeing one of her siblings dying by the hands of the eldest child of Lucifer was enough to drive Sapphire back to a war-like mentality, leading the Clique formerly ruled by Wilbert against Qlippoth.

The war was a gruesome stalemate that lasted for months…

Until Rizevim wanted to genuinely negotiate and put an end to the fight.

She was skeptical of the invitation, only accepting by realizing the oddly scared tone the usually-cocky bastard used to request to talk and… her surprise increased when they finally met.

There was no smile pending on his lips, there wasn't any snarky remark… only truth offered by Wilbert's special journal.

Dangerous pages in the hands of evil-doers, but apt for her to read and have.

It revealed so much, it gave so much insight over their father's origins and reasons to go to war against God.

Yet, the sole page that got her utterly shaken was… about her previously-thought lost lover.

While the entire cadre of Proto-Angels were disbanded permanently because of strong demands from Heaven's people, Michael was unwilling to let go of the stronger ones.

Having matched her in multiple fights, Raphaeline was deemed… suitable to be keep alive, sealed away until the world required her presence in a battlefield once more.

Hope, surprise and… _a breath of life_, washed over Sapphire, bringing her to realize that…

She could return to her!-

"You know, if you don't want to train them and spend this time day-dreaming, you could at least tell them." Nanika, Mio's inner darkness, spoke from the spot of the couch she had taken.

The woman blinked, red eyes fixing on equally red orbs. "Sorry, Nanika-chan, didn't mean to sound neglectful." She apologized quietly, getting a sight from the girl.

"It's still annoying!" The young redhead huffed loudly. "I mean, you are really cool and all, Auntie, but you didn't even give me anything to do with my _sisters_." She ended with an annoyed tone.

"That's because I want to talk a little with you."

Nanika facepalmed. "I swear, if this is something like 'you don't need to be a bad girl, you could be a good guy too' kind of talk I will-"

"No. I'm actually fine if you continue along this path." Sapphire admitted calmly. "I just wish to spend some time with… you in particular."

She raised a curious eyebrow. "Any reason why?"

"Just that I find it interesting how you look like Mio's twin rather than her 'own darkness'." The woman continued to talk, getting a shrug back from the girl.

"I look like my host, what a shocker-"

"I mean by how you actually behave 'similarly' to her." The woman interrupted and… got a frown back.

"Beg your pardon? Are you smocking something or did you just chug an entire super-vodka bottle?"

"You both seem to care about Maria and you're quite interested in me as your auntie." The adult pressed on, getting a groan from the fellow redhead.

"Maria is adorable and prone to cause funny messes to watch from afar, while the reason I find you 'interesting', Auntie, is more of a… physical attraction~." Nanika quipped flippantly, smiling lecherously at the woman.

"As if I couldn't recognize when someone looks at me like that from someone with other reasons behind this_ sad staring_."

"Sad staring? Is that even a real thing? My eyes are directed at your bo-"

"Enough of this, Nanika. I wish to entertain a serious discussion rather than some… sassy remarks from you." The woman narrowed her eyes, surprised to see the girl merely shrug once more.

"Sassy remarks are me, _Auntie_, so it's kind of difficult if you ask me to stop being me."

"No." Sapphire rebuked. "You think you can fool me with this faux mask of yours, but I recognize the stress, the annoyance, _the distress_ of being alone-"

"Spare me the kid shows' moral, _Auntie_, I'm not in the mood for- uh?"

Nanika didn't expect to be pulled in a hug. _She also didn't expect her Auntie's cushions to be __**that soft~!**_

"I understand that you are unwilling to share your inner thoughts to someone. I understand that you would see it as weakness and..." She sighed. "I wish to not have to give you this talk. You… I think you are burdened with quite the difficult job of taking in all the negative thoughts, the stress that is within Mio."

"That's the truth. Yes." The girl shot back softly, snuggling in that soft and_ comfortable situation she just found herself to be thrown into._

"This is why… I wish to tell you that I consider you as a niece. Just like Maria and Mio." Sapphire added, drawing a sigh from Nanika.

"What a foolish lie, one that would hurt us both if I accepted it as truth."

"Truths and lies… what does these matter when it's all about family." The woman hummed ruffling the younger redhead's hair. "My father… he would have given his best to-"

"Hoitsu." Nanika corrected quietly. "Hoitsu Sakakibara, Shiranai and Lucifer. These three would be so hellbent to have me… I don't know, convinced that there is brightness in the gloomy days? That I can find happiness with friends? I just… want to be left alone right now." The girl admitted.

"Alone? Even though I wish to keep you here in my embrace?" Sapphire mused softly, drawing another sigh from the redhead in her hold.

"You are fine." The darkness replied quietly. "You… don't annoy me too much, Auntie." Her eyes closed, letting herself be lulled by the pleasant softness the natural pillows were giving her right now.

The woman sighed, returning her stare at Mio and Maria, still training but also starting to get tired from the ever-repeating exercise.

The future offered so much between good and bad.

_**Hopefully, the best outcome would come out of these tense days...**_

* * *

**AN**

**Quick Warning: There is no political agenda, nor I care about 'filling a quota' about people in my stories. The reason why Sapphire is attracted to Raphaeline is actually Canon to the series 'Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha', only that in the series there was also Jin Toujou to add in. Since he isn't here, their relationship is… like that.**

**Why Raphaeline didn't Fall even though falling in love with Sapphire? It's something about Proto-Angels that renders them immune from Falling.**

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Scrumblenut****: Planning to add just one last chapter about fluff before jumping back to the story. I need to develop a little more some characters to add to the plot. Sapphire's mission to save Raphaeline will be crucial… just like the visit in Tokyo that will happen soon.**


	65. Doubts and Assedio

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 64: Doubts and Assedio**

* * *

This is the first time I felt this much cramped inside my bed.

I guess the issue has to be given to the three young women currently slumbering close to me, their collective warmth causing me an eternal wave of heat. Heat that was currently keeping me awake because of how uncomfortable it felt all around me.

It was surprising how none of the girls seemed to be minding the annoying situation, the smiles painted on their faces putting me in an even more complicated situation than expected.

I knew that problems were going to rise in a single bed, the trio having already show in their initial test how they would end up cuddling as close as possible near me, using my arms and my chest as natural pillows. I held back a sigh, my sight permanently fixed on the ceiling because of the cat-eared head pressing from below my chin.

Kuroka was the one that claimed my chest, Akua and Akeno accepting the spaces of pillows nearby my face, snuggling as close as possible as to not lose a 'competition' with the Nekoshou.

The result of such behavior was manifested by the feverish thoughts lingering in my mind, quietly keeping me distracted from the fact _it was still summertime and I had to deal with this unplanned cuddle-pile._

_**At least they kept some decency.**_

Shiranai's words too my sight to briefly remind myself about the oddly conservative night-wear. While Akeno had picked a simple plum-colored Pajama, Kuroka chose a comfy Kimono with underwear underneath and Akua was wearing a half-sleeved shirt and knee-long pants.

_It still doesn't absolve them from the terrible night I'm supposed to spend like this._

_**Not as terrible as it was back in our past life. Do you remember the cold?**_

_...I don't need this-_

_**Yes, you do! If you wanted to tell them to be a little less affectionate, explaining how the current summer's heat would make things unbearable as this, you could have told them that 'before' they went to sleep.**_

_I wasn't thinking-_

_**You don't. That's the problem.**_

_...What?_

_**It's been a while now but I think it's time someone point this out to you. It's something that I thought was just a momentary attitude but… you are getting lazy.**_

_I've been training-_

_**Your mindset. You are taking things far too calmly while getting bored of even doing some simple exercises.**_

_I can't do stuff that doesn't improve me-_

_**BUT YOU CAN STILL TRAIN BEFORE SHIT HITS THE FAN!**_

…

_**Do you think that when Lucifer will come out, because after dealing with so much I completely expect him to face us in the near future, he will care if we have a large family? If we have all happy and smiling?**_

_Shiranai-_

_**Don't 'Shiranai' me, Hoitsu Sakakibara. We both know that it has crossed in your mind more than once how the bastard didn't care for his family.**__** We**__** committed to a worthless cause because of some twisted order of things **__**We**__** decided to be prime part of.**_

…

_**Imagine yourself going so happily to reset the dimension. In Lucifer's mind, this should be undeniable… but why would we commit that? Why would we go so far to Reset everything in an endless loop?!**_

_You mean that… something happened for him to go this far? And also become this… uncaring?_

_**Since we are inherently morons with a propensity to be good-guys, I can only guess that… someone died. Someone important.**_

…

_**We should make sure they are ALL safe when the endgame begins.**_

_I will have all of them protected. Even if this means keeping them all in the safest place in the world._

_**...But what if this isn't enough?**_

_What?_

_**Don't you think this thought has to have crossed his mind before 'falling'? Don't you think that he would have known that something wrong would have happened to his precious people with that encounter?**_

_You think that… somehow he would still be able to hit them? But- how?!_

_**I don't know. The figure of Lucifer, or at least this version of him is wrapped in mystery. The only thing we know about him is that he somehow got the loyalty of Azrael, getting him to switch allegiances from Heaven to only himself.**_

_And that his wife is still alive- Actually, do you think that-_

_**She will surely know about the Reset. From what little we have, it wouldn't be wrong to assume that Lucifer DID love Lilith to a high degree. She will have more answers to our questions.**_

I nodded to myself and… finally sighed.

_I… I will step up my training then. I think it's time to bring stronger sparring partners to the count._

_**Oh? We could ask Issei and Vali. Both would surely accept, especially Vali. Actually, maybe inviting Vali isn't a good idea-**_

_He is much stronger than in Canon._

_**But he is still obsessed with power, and we don't know if Rizevim somehow ended up finding him now that he is in Kuoh, wandering, and told him about our 'identity'.**_

_That would end up in a very interesting way- but I think the issue by then would be… why didn't Lucifer tell anyone about our real… situation. The reason why 'we' all exist._

_**Possibly because that would be… considered way too much of a BS to be taken seriously. I don't know about Zekram, Azrael and other close loyalists, but I think… Lilith could know about this.**_

_You think-_

_**He has to have told her. As much as we can keep this a secret from friends, I think it would be the best for us to come clean once we got with someone like… a wife, a lover.**_

_They will think of us as insane-_

_**Not if we bring some realistic proof to it. We can do that. But I think the issue would then move to another dangerous situation.**_

_And that… is?_

_**What happens after that? If we go beyond Lucifer, if we end the Loop, what would happen next?**_

I blinked, my breathing softening as I felt Kuroka nuzzling lovingly on my chest, her face turning just enough to show her happy look once more.

_We continue to live, I guess. We will deal with consequences, with growth and… with love._

_**And also hate, assassins and other bastards going after us. But… I can see the appeal to that. Also-**_

_Hm?_

_**I want you to know that, the reason why I want you to put your best effort out for the preparations is… I love what I am seeing.**_

_...Uh?_

_**We have met, befriended and even brought in our strange family people that we only saw a mask of. People that we knew little of but now are an essential part of our lives. We have Kunou, we have Koneko, we have the girls here, Mio, Maria and… those that put their trust on us to never back down from the danger that is meant to strike very soon.**_

_...I- But why? I thought you wouldn't-_

_**I can mind my own business until a certain point, but I think you will understand if I found infuriating as worrying the little chance of seeing all of this vanish, erased by some twisted version of ours. I care for them too, I'm part of this too and… don't let them vanish. I beg you.**_

There was quiet, there was silence and then… I looked down only to find two quiet orbs of golden staring back at me.

"_Hey._" Kuroka whispered, adjusting herself in a comfortable position while also making sure that the two other girls were still asleep. "_Is everything alright_?"

I blinked, giving a surprised look and then… I sighed. "_Just… thinking._" I whispered back, catching a curious frown from her.

"_Oh?_" She mused softly, blinking slowly as she continued to stare at my face. "_It has to be important if it kept you awake until..._" She glanced at the bedside, a small digital clock there with a red '3:54' written on it. "_This early in the morning_." The Nekoshou yawned, but she hardly seemed ready to return back to sleep. "_What was it about?_"

It was a difficult question, one that had me in silence for some time before the girl huffed back.

"_That much important?_" She glanced with minor annoyance. "_I thought we would have had less secrets about us._" She commented with a worried tone. "_After all, I did pour my own mind for you to help me with Shirone_." The dark-haired woman finished.

… "_It's… complicated._" I replied curtly. "_It's not that I don't trust you but… It's just some silly worry of mine that is that. Silly-_"

"_Yet it kept you awake._" Kuroka pressed on. "_So, are you going to spill the beans now?_"

I sighed, the decision weighting a lot as… I should be bothering them with my paranoia. It would be wrong to a degree and… I sighed again.

"_I was thinking about Lucifer and- Uh?_" I found one of her fingers pressing on my cheek, poking at it in a very annoying manner. Yet the smug grin was what got me partly irritated. "_What?_" I asked with a dull tone, her grin widening.

"_Silly thinking indeed._" She mirthfully replied, ignoring my annoyance and continuing to poke at my face. "_I bet it has to do with you connecting Lucifer with yourself… but I bet you are also ignoring something important about him_."

I frowned. "_And that is?_" I questioned, drawing a soft sigh from her.

"_That your name is Hoitsu Sakakibara._" The Nekoshou shot back. "_That while Lucifer could be a version of you, he is a completely different person compared to what you are, to who you are._" She emphasized her last words by pressing my cheek even more.

"_I can only guess, but I can see you having worries about… becoming like him. Ending up alone and… tired._" The young woman sighed again and finally retracted her finger. "_But I can say without hesitation that your concerns are incredibly stupid. It's not going to happen_."

… "_W-What?! But Lucifer-_"

"_Isn't the Hoitsu Sakakibara I know about._" She interjected with a huff. "_You are mine, he isn't it. You are Akeno's, you are Akua's, you are Kunou's, Shirone's, Lith's, Ophis' and… everyone else that know you and know who you are really_." Her smile was incredibly bright in that dark moment.

She leaned in, her lips lingering onto mine for more than just a few seconds. It was chaste but… it was also meaningful. It wasn't as embarrassing as I would have expected it to be and… I kissed back.

Her smile twitched in amusement as she softly backed away, sporting a goofy look on her face. "_And that was but just the beginning of what tomorrow is going to be._" She proclaimed in such a whispered way. "_Akua will have precedence after both Akeno and I claimed our first spoils._"

I sighed, the girl nuzzling back onto my chest and… _soon I felt cooler than before._

"_I noticed that you were sweating._" She commented tiredly, not bothering to glance my way as she was already returning to her sleep. "_Why didn't you apply the cool-breeze spell?_"

_Wait, there is something like that-_

_**Are you seriously questioning the existence of a practical magical spell like that one?**_

_I… I will look up to it before the date._

Moments passed and soon… I was granted some sleep, the Nekoshou joining mere instances later.

Yet, even in my slumber, the words she told me remained, seeping deep in my mind as…

As I felt like she was right about it.

**I'm Hoitsu Sakakibara and I'm certainly not going to become Lucifer!**

* * *

If there was something that the woman had learned to love after so many years of exile, it was the beautiful garden she had built from scratch.

The previously empty, but humongous room was now the sole aspect of life that persisted in the Realm of the Dead. Flowers of various kind, all tended by her motherly touch, an attempt to keep her mind distracted from the dreadful effects her loneliness brought after so many years have been spent away from the spotlight, away from family. _Her family_.

She sighed, softly passing the watering can she had finished to use on the rare glowing green rose in front of her to one of the Grim Reapers assigned to her as her entourage. This particular specimen had required an incredible effort to be born and properly taken care of.

A stubborn thing that reminded her awfully how the difficulty of dealing with her eldest. Rizevim was a cheeky pest, from his childhood to his early adulthood, a son that managed to awe and annoy her even with the simplest of situations.

Yet he was loving, caring, always there to present himself as his father's counterbalance for sometime. Her dearest husband, once the sweetest being in the world, had turned ever so slowly into a tired and weary man, still kind and loving, but very annoyed by the slightest of distractions to his word.

The War was stressful, especially with the bickering commenced by the young Lords of the Underworld, teens at the time that would only cease with their blabbering when their surrogate father was around.

The formality was what kept the proper familiar terms to be used, Zekram being devoted to the leader of the new faction more as a minion than a child of his, something that her lover found as amusing as annoying at times.

The prideful youth was also one of the few ones in the group made by the original 72 lords that believed in absolute victory rather than a negotiated truce. Something that would end up becoming a torn for her when she would lead the Underworld's delegation in hope of gaining a proper white peace with Heaven and Grigori.

Lilith, former Queen of Hell, was quite happy that the turbulent years that followed the Civil War were now behind her as she pleasantly enjoyed her secret self-proclaimed exile.

Hades… was crass in the worst case, but the God of the Dead would never go far out of respect of her late husband. When Lucifer was struck down from Heaven, Hades was one of the first Gods to try and seek an alliance with him.

It was a declining period for the Hellenic Pantheon and the 'King on Earth' was more than pleased to accept this offer and bring the deity in his ranks. There was mutual respect for their individual titles, a silent case of coordination between their respective forces. Hence the closeness there was between the Morningstar family and Hades, something that made things easy for Lilith when she sought refuge in the Realm of Dead.

The place was unique as those who 'lived' in here where undetectable and 'invisible' to the rest of the Pantheons. The ideal escape that was continuing to work even now that centuries had passed.

The redhead hummed quietly as she carefully trimmed another plant nearby. Hard-work that was repaid in precious fruits. Beautiful results that made the whole experience of gardening even more pleasant… compared to when she had to headbutt with the various Lords of Hell trying to make some stand against her way of reform.

Her husband had been clear about reforming society after the Great War, leaving numerous lines to follow. Instructions that would have actually worked and improved the Underworld's overall life expectancy.

Yet the 'nobility' reared its ugly head and made things impossible, causing the administration to collapse once a rebellion emerged. She resigned instantly, crippling the leadership of the 'Loyalist' camp and getting away from the dumpster fire before burning because of it.

People died, some were jailed for treason and war crimes. But Lilith?

Lilith stopped to care about governing, even when Sirzechs Gremory came to ask to head the new society. A young fool that reminded her of the brief moments of naivety her former lover was known for back in Heaven.

To expect that Zekram would just allow four youths to rule the faction was stupid, something she was particularly sure they all learned after so much time had passed.

And while she wasn't allowed to leave the Realm ruled by Hades, the God was keen to bring her interesting news happening all over the world.

This month had been… fairly significant.

The picture showing Hoitsu Sakakibara that the Hellenic deity of Death obtained mere weeks ago answered one of the major questions the woman had over her ever-so mysterious husband. Lucifer looked quite… cute as a young man.

He looked so innocent, inexperienced about the world around him and… she couldn't help but giggle at how 'cute' he was. It was like another child of hers, younger than Sapphire, that had a striking resemblance with Lucifer.

Yet he was Lucifer… while also not being him.

Oddly confusing but also endearing as she knew _everything_ about the two dummies.

She could see him already squirming if she somehow ended up meeting with little Hoitsu, the secrets her lover had told her about himself. A true Outsider, one that bypassed history and become someone else…

_It just was so 'cool', like her flamboyant hubby would say_.

A pity that she couldn't just waltz out of the Realm without being nagged by the Four Pests about wisdom and whatnot. Lilith wanted peace, something that the brats would deprive her of if she was to ever step outside of her 'jail'.

Just as she started to tend to the umpteenth flower, her ears caught the distinct sound of familiar footsteps approaching. Red eyes glanced back and a small smile appeared while she turned to greet Hades.

The tall 'pile of bones' nodded back at her, huffing and looking particularly annoyed. Nothing from her, of that Lilith was sure of.

"Something bothering you, Lord Hades?" The woman asked out-of-curiosity, getting a surprising sigh from him.

"I think the brat has noticed the 'trick'. He sent three individuals to try and rescue you." The God bluntly stated in such an informal manner. Still, her eyes widened in shock at the news and she stopped thinking about her garden.

"Three individuals?" Part of her was interested about their identities but- "And you are sure it's little Hoitsu-"

"The youngest bear the allegiance to the group he leads, the other two have been shown amicable to Azazel." The grand skeleton stated dryly. "The big issue is that I know two of those and… the third one is just related to one of them."

"Sounds like you don't want to fight them." Lilith narrowed her eyes to the God, Hades blinking back.

"I had worse people to face, _especially that smiling bastard and his foolish puns_. But the Belmont and Alucard _are_ not people I wish to deal with… this soon." The Hellenic deity admitted with some minor annoyance.

"This soon? You wanted to-"

"Little plan that will happen in 24 years from now. Something about bringing Vlad back from the death once more." He shrugged. "No biggie."

"You know, I think I heard him saying he just wanted to rest after being resurrected ten times _right as a Belmont manages to find him and 'whip him up'_." The woman crossed her arms under he bosom. "I think you have something against him."

"Other than the fact he sent me to die against Richter?" The Deity shot back. "I admit that it was impossible to foresee the potential of that man, but I came close to genuinely perish against him. Like, what would have happened if I died-"

"Probably come back here and… continue to exist?" Lilith guessed, drawing a murderous glare from Hades as he humphed and turned around, already walking away. "Are you at least going to put some resistance against them?"

He shrugged. "Just some cannon fodders. I will not lose any of my good guards just for some family's issues and… I think it's time you stop leeching from me, woman."

She tensed, a furious expression plastered on her face. "_Excuse you!?_"

"You have been taking money from my personal treasury to buy yourself this garden… which I don't need!" He stopped, turning around and ranting about it. "Do you seriously expect me, a walking skeleton, or my other servants, _also_ walking skeletons, to need nourishment in the form of fruits or maybe some 'pretty' flowers to stare at during our non-existing free time?!"

There was some silence, Hades nodded happily as he returned to walk out of her hobby room. "You are officially evicted, Lilith Morningstar. So you better be packing when they arrive to pick you up."

The door closed behind him, leaving an incredibly irate redhead alone with her now-former assistants.

T-To think that she would be kicked out in such a crass manner! She huffed, pacing a little around as she thought what to do and… then her shoulders sagged.

Maybe it was time to face the music and… deal with whoever decided to have her taken out of the Realm of Dead. And with this difficult decision made, the woman ventured out of the room and back to her living quarters, ready to spend a few hours to… get everything packed.

In her rage, a bright theory roused within her mind, gaining evidence the more she evaluated it.

There was just only an individual that would do this to her, to bring little Hoitsu's attention on her and… her eldest son was surely going to pay for the gloomy mood she was right now.

**Oh! Of that she was completely sure of!**

* * *

**AN**

**Little fluff and the prelude for next chapter. What? Hades should be less sassier? Who said that?!**

**Lilith is now introduced in the present time and… she will be a fun character to further increase the number of romantic shenanigans among everyone. Beware as the Hellish Matchmaker is coming for you~!**

**Also lastly, I wish to address something I think everyone (in the forums) should know about: I officially open the chance to write Omakes of the story. Whoever wishes to add a snippet or anything about it, I will be more than happy to add it to the story (that is if said stories are respectful of the rules and not-overly violent.).**

**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Illusion of Time:**** Nothing is made for casual reasons, or it will all make sense… eventually. I know it sounds forced as a relationship but I just wanted to address 1) some of the readers asking for Sapphire's and Raphaeline's relationship now that there wasn't Jin around and 2) it will have a specific reason for this description to exist in the plot.**


	66. Of Dead and Sisters

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 65: Of Dead and Sisters**

* * *

The attack plan was fairly simple.

They needed to enter inside the isolated section of the Underworld where Death ruled, the very place where the souls of dead people went when they perished and… 'kidnap' an important woman held within the protective magical walls protecting the large territory.

The Gates of the Realm of the Dead were forcefully slammed open by Alucard, his vampiric strength was aided by dark magic and the first obstacle was torn apart in mere moments.

The instant the loud thud signaled the fall of the broken doors, several skeleton-like monsters rushed towards the three invaders, ready to make a lasting resistance.

The vampire rushed forward, slamming on the main force with his sword already cutting through many opponents at once while his shield pushed away those trying to attack him by the side.

Julius' Vampire Killer, struck fiercely and swiftly, proving once more the prowess of the current holder of the bane of Dracula himself. A first swipe from the powerful whip was more than enough as the first wave opposing him was decimated in a few seconds.

Mathias was holding well at the sight of the army going after them, his hands tightening the hold over the Holy Whip, a weapon of unknown origins that was bestowed to Trevor Belmont himself.

It wasn't as strong as the Morningstar, but the lack of explosive effects made it a flexible tool and helped him in properly make use of the basis of the Art of the Whip.

Quick hits, multiple ones were required to engage the stronger threats, but until he remained as a support for the two main-hitters, things weren't going to turn any bad. His eyes caught sight of flying skele-knights trying to attack from above and, retracting the Holy-type weapon, the young man proceeded to deploy the first of the many Holy Crosses his uncle had given to him.

The blessed long-range weapons pierced without hesitation into the ribs of the demon-like creatures, their pained roars deafened by the constant assault still ongoing.

Minutes of intense fighting passed, numerous waves proving that the entrance was well-defended and… also suggesting that the current owner of this Realm was hardly going to make their life any easier from now on.

Phoenix's Tears were plenty in Julius' and Mathias' bags, while Alucard was more than capable to heal himself through magic. This was but the first step with the plan and… the youngest human was having some little nervousness about it.

The lounge was a chilling sight void of any living being, a stark contrast compared to the unforgettable welcoming party they had just dealt with.

There was some smoke coming from the upper floor, the entire room looking quite antiquate with the presence of old portraits with various individuals, mostly humans, sporting either scowls or sad and defeated expressions.

There was something about the very pictures as… the eyes seemed to be looking right at them as they continued through their path straight to the stairs. This wasn't like what had happened back in the Tepes Castle, Mathias thought with a perplexed glance all around, the impressive presence of high-level monsters just moments ago surpassing the fiends he had to face in that dreadful night.

But the teen was rightfully aware that this was just the tip of the iceberg as they had just entered the compound that would end with Death himself and- his thoughts manifested in the form of ten Archdemons flying towards them while brandishing several sharp weapons.

The Vampire Killer snapped once more, decapitating the first monster and wounding the one close to the leading creature. A loud shriek from the injured beast sent shivers down the young Belmont's spine, but his adrenaline didn't let him miss the first attack, the Holy Whip slamming onto the chest of the closest Archdemon and ending its life as the Holy energy purged the impure being in mere instants, leaving only dust on its place.

Alucard's form was coated in darkness as he blitzed through the remaining monsters while bathing his sword through their flesh. The affair was quickly solved as nobody else came to join up the initial force of supernatural beings.

It just… felt strange. While Archdemons were fiends to not scoff at, the small number of those was… quite mind-boggling. Why wouldn't Death send more troops to intercept them? Why did this felt… like a trap?

Mathias tensed up at this last theory, glancing around as he continued to follow the two adults through the desolate halls of the mansion. The youth blinked in surprise as soon the halls were filled with… cloaked figures.

The pacing of the group slowed down a little, Alucard's hand poised to extract his sword out of the hilt while Julius' pressed tightly on the whip in the side-holster. Mathias looked unsure at what the _servants_ of Death were doing here, seemingly cleaning the walls and some of the vases there.

None of the creatures, possibly skeletons themselves, turned to 'greet' the attackers' presence and the trio continued to walk on guard for four more minutes of hallways. None of the monsters was attacking anymore, now a handful of those glancing their way momentarily.

No attacks, no aggressiveness. It was starting to get… incredibly frustrating for his mind.

Their confusion finally culminated once the doors leading to the throne room opened. The room was obviously bigger than the lounge, the are being illuminated by brighter and normal candles rather than dark-blue flames hovering from special sections of the walls.

More skeleton-servants were silently cleaning around, others merely standing by the side of the direct path that led to the massive chair occupied by a large skeleton bickering with a red-haired woman. It was donning ceremonial robes with white and gold details… which was quite off from how he had imagined Death to look like.

Julius' stories about the Demon Castle War portrayed the Undead Servant of Dracula as a terrifying figure hiding its feature with a dark-blue cloak, barely showing any of its skeleton-like appearance.

Yet the being which was being addressed as Hades wasn't only looking different, but was behaving rather… weirdly too. The annoyed glance alternated with a hopeful glint directed at them, trying to get the lady to look at them.

The woman was wearing a long dark-red dress with some armored pieces attached to it, making her look like a… warrior noble, minus any visible weapons.

"-The fact that after so many years you would just ditch me with so little!" She harrumphed, her rage hindering her perception of things and people as she focused everything at Death. "You had me thinking that you actually cared when you brought a tenth of your force to hold the entrance, but then you spared _just ten_ of your Arch-demons. You have tons of those-"

"'Those' are living beings and loyal men to the Realm of the Dead, Lilith." Hades interrupted with a sigh. "Plus, I already told you that I would have spared just the minimum to hold them off. I remember saying this to you… more than a hundred times-"

"Ninety-six, Lazy-bones!" She huffed, crossing her arms close to her chest. "Seriously, I thought you were really my friend-"

"Whatever chance there was of 'befriending' me was crushed, burned and terribly maimed when you decided to live the life of a leecher. The only reason why I don't call for a full payment for your outstanding debt is because I am still loyal to your husband's cause." He interrupted again, gaining a long sigh from the redhead.

The woman blinked and glanced towards them, blinking again before commenting about their presence.

"So… they have been for how long?" She turned back to Hades, eyes narrowing on him. "So?!"

He sighed. "They have been for not even a minute. But worry not, they have to have heard you screech like the mad-woman you are-"

"I will have you know that insanity is a condition of working myself to the bone for the bastards now whining for my return-" She stopped, glancing once more to the trio. "Actually, can I know who sent you there? I don't wish to scold the wrong bunch."

Alucard blinked in surprise, the only expression of shock worthy of his usual composure. "We were sent on behalf of one Hoitsu Sakakibara-"

"_Yes!_" She celebrated momentarily, freezing up again and bowing a little towards them. "Sorry, kind of happy that it wasn't any of the Satans and…" She hummed quietly and sighed. "Can't you just… leave me there?"

This time it was Julius that butted in. "I'm sorry, Lady, but your presence is important because of some mess your husband caused."

She blinked. "Part of me want to be hopeful and guess that it's Rizevim, but I fear that there is more than… that." Lilith sighed, this time sporting a serious expression. "But I think I know _why_ you are here and… drat."

The big skeleton tilted its head, relaxing a little in his throne. "Nothing that would end the world, I hope." He mused loud enough to make the woman twitch in silent fury.

"A-As if you would care." She huffed again, pouting at him. "You frigging jerk." Her words got an intrigued glance from Hades, but the deity didn't press on.

Lilith then turned to look at the group one last time. "Still, I wish to understand why didn't little Hoitsu come himself to pick me up from this _stupid and small place_." She took a step towards them, her red eyes glinting a mirthful light. "Do you know who is responsible for this?"

There was a brief pause and then… Alucard sighed. "From what I can recall, it was your son's idea to have us get you from this Realm-"

"I knew it." She closed her eyes, double-facepalming softly. "I_ fucking_ knew it!" She groaned in her hands.

She returned back to her previous posture and nodded. "I think there isn't anything else to do here to try and delay the unavoidable reunion." The woman turned and gestured the two _incredibly big baggage cases lying behind her._ "Could the two oldest pick up the slack already? I think I will entertain myself with some classic info-raid." She giggled while saying this much to the three males' confusion.

Mathias had merely the time to blink that he found himself glomped in an unexpected embrace from the lady. Another bout of giggles and, staring up he found himself staring at a pair of familiar red orbs. "Would you look at how young you are? I bet you are just out of childhood with how cute you look here." She mirthfully commented.

Her smile, her pillows, her amused glance, _her pillows_. Seriously, what was wrong with this woman.

"And that curious whip? It does look rather… familiar." The woman commented, cautiously handling the chained bit of the Morningstar. "Very curious."

"W-What?" His brain was rebooting while the red-head started to headpat him.

"Nothing, cutie. Just keep me company and answer some of my question while we go back to the Human world." She ordered, lifting the shocked youth up with her arms as if he weighed nothing and started to walk the opposite way they came from.

Julius continued to stare at the comic scene with a curious frown while Alucard looked at Death with a silent but incredibly loud expression, demanding an explanation about the being they were supposed to escort out from the 'hostile and dangerous' place.

"She has been hiding in here for centuries now. I understand if the 'reasons' behind her presence here could have given the wrong impression, but yes, I don't want her here." Hades replied dully, glancing by the side and away from the son of Dracula. "By the way, can I ask you a favor, Adrian?"

The vampire's eyes widened but just a fraction at the fact the deity used his real name, but he nodded slowly. "If it isn't anything nefarious-"

"It's actually a benign advise." The skeleton interrupted. "In a decade or two… have the boy prepared for a big threat."

… "What?"

"While I've plans around that date, those plans might get delayed if not ruined from one of the rogue cults that worship your father. I don't know much about them, but I can tell they are going to be a pain to deal with once they are ready to strike." He properly explained, before sighing. "While I know the current holder of the Vampire Killer is strong, I don't know how much will be lost with the old age."

Julius glanced back and shrugged. "I will be ready anyway. But I guess this little warning isn't truly unreasonable as we Belmonts need to be ready when Dracula will come back." The man concluded with a nod.

Hades fidgeted for a moment in his throne but nodded back slowly. "That's true..." He admitted, knowing perfectly how 'ready' the family was when the Count was close to be reborn. Always.

The two adults finally decided to comply with Lilith's demands and went to pick her cases, starting to walk with a quick pace to catch up with the giggly woman and the blushing youth in her hold.

Death, or Hades, facepalmed as his headache increased even more at the slowly-retreating noises of the annoying woman. It was already difficult to prepare for the whole 'Godly War' that seemed about to happen in mere months from now, but dealing with that infuriating female was enough to make him want to enjoy neutrality and peace as much as he could.

He should have understood when Lucifer had presented her to him. There was no way someone as insane as he was would have tied with anyone even remotely stable.

_**But now, hopefully, he would be able to enjoy a decade-long nap. Just enough to get him ready for the big return of Dracula to the real world. And hopefully no one will end up messing with his plans… hopefully.**_

* * *

Kunou couldn't believe that this was happening.

She dodged another punch, trying to land a kick as a reply from the quick attack, only to find air instead of the planned target. Jumping away, the blonde's eyes were locking onto the silver-haired blur keeping up with her pace.

It had all come from a simple suggestion from Lith, about when was the last time she had sparred with Ko-senpai. Of course the answer was… a long time ago. Her mind lacked a detailed response over the matter as most of her spars had been either with her Niichan or alone while trying to silently adapt new techniques.

There was an instance where she did come close to spar with the Nekoshou while trying to properly integrate her Wild Frenzy with her fighting style and… failing incredibly as she tried to use it in the important spar against her Niichan.

With their respective focus being directed in different paths, it wasn't that difficult to understand why they had hardly interacted on the training situation and why now their spar felt so… aggressive.

It was no secret that they cared for each other like close sisters would, but with that loving relationship there was also the issue of facing some minor issues along the way.

In this peculiar occasion, the problem was actually very simple and easy to understand.

It was the first time they could enjoy sparring with each other after some time, it was the first time they could see how much they had improved and perfected their fighting prowess and…

_It was their own special way to rough-house._

Part of the kitsune wanted to compare their fight with how Kuroka and Akua did back when they first battled and… she knew the differences were stark clear.

There was a fond connections shared by the two girls in this case, thus while they were hitting each other with powerful hits, none was going over-board with their strength nor giving too much in the battle-lust.

This last bit was also afforded thanks to the presence of Baraqiel keeping track of their fight, the man spending time here in the house while recovering from a _happy accident_ he received by his daughter, something _about giving false info_. Something that the blonde ruled without hesitation as a happy accident herself, considering the fact she knew what 'false info' the man was accused for.

Her Niichan had gone out for that date with Akua, Akeno and Kuroka and were expected to return a little later than Lunch. Something that annoyed her a little… but she was fine if it was because of that.

Her Niichan deserved love after what he had done for them and… she was glad that he found more happiness.

Together with the Fallen Angel were a smiling Lith and a happy-looking Ophis as both Dragons watched the fight with mild interest.

The clash intensified just a little more before the stalemate turned into something manageable from both sides. Their respective patterns were carefully studied and countered, each step turning essentially planned as a slight mistake would have spelled the end of the two girls' chances of winning the brawl.

Magic would have tipped the balance, something that Ko-senpai was aware of and that decided to counter by… continuing to seek the close encounters. Their different experiences started to play on a slow-building defeat for the kitsune, being that the silver-haired girl was more experienced in fighting closely and personally.

Kunou huffed tiredly, her body feeling the strain caused by the Wild Frenzy, but unwilling to switch from it as, much to her surprise, even Ko-senpai knew how to use it. Her form was more raw than hers, but the power was still the same, the determination even matching hers right now.

The ache was forgettable, especially with the ever-present funny emotion keeping her going for the attack. An emotion that would have her giggling, smiling and hugging people.

An emotion that was fueled by the loud incitement from Lith, her words filling her with ambition, with strong intentions to win through this difficult case.

Her hard-work against Ko-senpai's hard-work.

This emotion- the blonde was sure that even her opponent could feel it and…

**They were both smiling as they continued to fight each other.**

Siblings seeking people that cared for them, finding them, loving them and growing a sense of protection over those that were their dearests.

It was so exciting and inspiring, so bubbly but also so calm and collected. She was flying but also relaxing on a comfy pillow.

**The joy of finding each other after so much time had passed.**

But the tingle wasn't just joy at finding once again someone that shared her burden, soon the tingle turning into warmth and… then into energy.

She blinked just once and then Koneko's form changed before her. Her already silver hair were now pure white with red tips, her eyes going from a golden to calm red as new energy flooded out of her.

And… her fluffy blonde tails were now sporting the same theme as her opponent's hair.

They both stopped, mesmerized by their similar transformation and _incredible _increase in power. It was beyond what they were accustomed to, this energy- their bodies shouldn't have been ready to contain it and yet… and yet she was so strong.

_Stronger than her Niichan!_

It was an absurd statement, and yet her energy and body felt exploding with new strength. A feat that was unreachable until now and… yet here she was, seeing the soft white aura covering her as her entire core exuded raw magical energy from… every bit of her body!

But what truly got her endeared was how it was a transformation that… they both shared. Their appearance was almost identical, part of her giddily pointing out how they now looked like they were really related by blood, their matching hair and eyes… and they both looked so cool!

Yet, as they continued to enjoy the 'amazing' transformation, they also noticed a little too late the sudden searing pain emerging from their bodies. It was like fire, harmful and consuming that quickly brought them out of their wonderful daydreaming.

The transformations dropped almost-instantly, their core almost close to dry up while they both started to fall on the floor. Kunou's body was hurting all over, as if she had been stomped by a massive boulder.

The blonde's eyelids started to slowly close, Ophis being the one that rushed to pick her before she could properly fall and bringing a familiar tiny bottle close to her lips.

"Drink it." She ordered blankly, yet after so much time spent with her, the kitsune could pick up any emotion from that seemingly emotionless voice.

There was legitimate worry and her hold was a little cautious and mindful as the first drops of the Phoenix's tears entered her mouth and the liquid revitalized her.

Baraqiel had rushed to pick up Koneko to do the same and… the girl got up with a tired expression. The silver-haired girl blinked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Her mind felt strained too, yet she was capable of standing on her own and… notice that Kunou was resting on the mat, eyes glancing tiredly around as her senpai rushed to check on her.

"Ku-chan?" A mix of worry and sleepiness influencing her voice, the girl turning to slowly glance at her with a small smile.

"It… it was a draw." She stated with a smug voice, getting a sigh in return from the Nekoshou. The stress of the mind possibly putting her against getting up and… the blonde wanted to rest on the floor.

Koneko hummed as she slowly went to lie beside her surrogate little sister. "How are you holding?"

A soft giggle. "I'm… fine." The kitsune yawned a little. "Just tired." She answered.

"Do you… want to be taken to bed?" The Nekoshou suggested with a quiet voice, getting a sigh in return.

"I like… there." Kunou whispered softly, silently turning on her side and… placing her head on the older girl's chest. "Mhhh..."

The silver-haired teen contemplated if she should have picked the girl up and put her in her bed but… then again the floor was warm thanks to magical seals and the blonde was already snoring by the time she was thinking this.

She sighed. It would seem like she was going to be stuck here for a while.

Baraqiel retreated away from the training area, mentioning how he 'shouldn't be disturbing the girls' and the situation escalated just a little when both Lith and Ophis picked to lie by her side, further 'capturing' her in that curious dog-pile.

How… annoying~.

Yet her eyelids slowly closed as tiredness finally took over.

Koneko fell asleep with a happy smile… and the partial knowledge that her Neesama was going to get some picture out of this situation if… she failed to get up early… on.

Her mind shut down as her main drive turned to sleep and recover from what had just happened.

_**And as the Nekoshou rested, Lith smiled happily as she could now proudly say that she helped her Neesans by giving them some more power. Now things were going to be funnier than before, she was certain of that!**_

* * *

**AN**

**Lilith has the Mama version of Hoitsu's Oniichan attitude. She sees young man/woman (a child in her eyes) and she will go there to smoother him. Give her too much paperwork or work in general and she will start to bite (This isn't fake, she will bite yah!).**

**So, Kunou and Koneko have… their new SSJ form- no, I'm not copying from Dragon Ball this time around. Lasses and Gents, we got the Fox Dragon Form and the Cat Dragon Form! The former is actually canon while the latter is an inspiration from the canon form and… yeah, it's **_**that strong**_**. The Fox Dragon Form is on par with a Beast God's power… thus Kunou just got something to beat Hoitsu… if she ever learn how to properly use it. Differently from previous techniques/transformation, the taxing effects of this ability are way higher and non-negligible. Mere training will not help her get hang over it and… I can say that it will become **_**Immensely **_**important in the plot.**

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**tom24800: Her nagging was also stronger than Hades himself! xD**

**MasterBlade47: And let us not forget about Euclid. The man will never admit this to anyone but... seeing his overly-sassy and jerk boss being spanked by his own mother, the former queen of hell? He is going to 'somehow' end up with a registration of the happening and he will keep it around... forever.**

**Bachi the cat: It depends on the kind of guy/girl. It's still a small thing and I don't want to mess up too much with everything.**

**Reishin Amara: All in two days? That's a record! (I think? I dunno xD)**


	67. A Step Forward in a Weird Direction

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 66: A Step Forward in a Weird Direction**

* * *

Kunou was resting quietly in her bed as I continued to hold her hand, my soul repeating over and over that… 'she was alright, she was safe and she was fine' to my worry-fueled paranoia.

Seriously, how could I've expected Lith to go as far as to grant both girls part of her power? I had long expected Ophis to act upon this situation, having seen her thinking about it with Shiranai, but the discussion either diverged elsewhere or she would just accept the fact they were going to become stronger anyway with training.

Such an immediate power-boost could have seriously destabilized Kunou's core if she hadn't been lucky enough to be in the Wild Frenzy form. With the powerful flux of energy coming from the Yokai-restricted transformation, the sudden foreign magic was fought and burned by the expensive drain of the form they were on.

Koneko held mightily with the aftereffect of this magical response, while Kunou found it way more difficult to deal, ending up with a tired mind.

Baraqiel's intervention was enough to make sure the sudden intense pain was treated with Phoenix's tears, but the Core was a mix of Soul and Body, thus her consciousness was depleted by the situation.

The man had been quick to call me to inform of what happened and, as I finished to pay the check of the restaurant I had taken the three girls to for the planned date, I was quick to explain how we all needed to return back home and… they were all receptive and accepting of this predicament.

Once we were back to my house, the girls proved to be quick to… not just stand there and actually do something to help around much to my gratefulness.

Akua went to administer some massages along the sore Magical coils along Kunou's and Koneko's limbs, carefully and soothingly having them relaxed and healed. A long process that took almost an hour to be done with, but that truly helped up for a quick recovery from both girls.

The silver-haired Nekoshou was being aided by her sister, Kuroka making sure that the drained teen was given anything that she needed, may it be a glass of water, some tissue or a shoulder to lean on while she stared at her still-sleeping friend.

Akeno was carefully preparing some wet towels as Kunou had been having a slight fewer ever since she fell asleep, something that needed to be monitored from time to time as the sickness would hardly retreat without proper care.

It took them a few hours, but Asia and Issei arrived just as the vampire concluded her treatment, the blonde swiftly applying her **Twilight Healing **over the two young girls' cores as the area being sore too but quite impossible to fix via natural means.

The brunet started to ask a few answers about what happened and Baraqiel replied to every single one of them. Mostly it was about the 'why' and 'how' this happened and, staring from the doorstep of the kitsune's room, Ophis whispered quietly to Lith.

The 'younger' Dragon seemed partly confused, mostly because she was completely unaware of the dangerous action she just did with that stunt. But Ophis knew perfectly that and she was subtly explaining this to her… younger sister.

_**She didn't mean it-**_

_But she will still be rightfully punished for that. I can't just let her go… with the chaotic mess happening here._

_**And that's fine, but I hope that-**_

_Do you think I will go overboard with her?! I'm not certainly planning to-_

_**You are shaking right now. As much as I know you are impartial 'in a normal circumstance', I know that Kunou and Koneko were close-**_

_Don't say it. Just… I will not do anything wrong, trust me on this._

_**...I will believe you, for now.**_

But what Shiranai was pointing out wasn't completely wrong. I was terribly concerned, my skin having paled a shade or two by the time I learned of what had happened and even now I felt cold inside.

That had been incredibly close, terribly so. Something that will possibly give me a nightmare or two just because of the scare I got from the 'possible end'. I sighed, my eyes fixed on Kunou's face, the small reddening on her cheeks caused by the fever and, glancing to the side to find Akeno with a pair of towels and a bowl filled with water, I was quick to cautiously apply the first one on her forehead.

Her breathing was soft, normal and my heartbeat was going to a pace a little higher than usual. Not too much to dignify my inner worry, but enough to understand that the worst was over… right now.

I took me a few moments to address the fact that both Infinity Dragons had slowly approached the bed, Lith trailing silently behind her older sibling with her head staring in simple shame at the floor.

"She wants to help." Ophis said with her usual tone, black eyes looking right at my face. "She is remorseful and… she didn't mean it."

I blinked, glancing momentarily at the two girls, first at the Goth girl's usual blank expression, somehow glinting some responsibility over the action of the child behind her, and then I noticed that Lith was twitching, looking close to cry.

I closed my eyes, sighing quietly as I opened them up with a determined look. "Lith." I called out softly, making her tense up just for a moment as she slowly brought her sight over my face. There were some tears building up in her eyes.

I was currently sitting on one of the available chairs in the room and I smiled a little. "Come here a moment, sweetie."

She tensed again, the affectionate nickname being good enough to have her slowly take steps towards me and… then her onyx orbs widened as I lifted her off the floor and settled her on my lap. "It's alright, sweetie, I'm not mad." I whispered as I started to caress her head comfortably.

Her tension melted almost instantly, but she didn't cry. Rather she started to nuzzle on my chest, her cheek pressing on it as her eyes were locked onto Kunou's sleeping form, sadness visible from those. "I… I wanted to help them." She explained quietly, straddling on my shirt. "They looked so happy and… then they looked cool!" Her smile was brief, but it was also infectious as I cracked a tiny one.

"I know that you didn't want to hurt them, but it still happened and..." I blinked, glancing at the sleeping blonde with a calm look. "I think I know what you can do to redeem yourself about it." She looked up the moments my words finished leaving my lips.

"A-And that is?" She asked with hopeful expression.

_**Warning, cuteness overload detected and- Oh Gods, she is just so… cute~!**_

_And you were trying to appear serious a few moments ago…_

"Do you see the wet towel that I just put on Ku-chan's forehead?" I questioned, gaining a quick nod from the girl as I smiled a little more. "If you go by the closest bathroom on the left side of the hallway, the one where there is Akeno, she is currently preparing some more. Your duty is… to get those ready and place these with the others."

She nodded again, her face sporting a determined look as she slowly climbed down my legs and almost run off… if I didn't catch before she could rush away. "Also, no running while holding the towels or you are going to slip and hurt yourself, sweetie."

Lith smiled brightly and nodded, her pace significantly reduced as she went ahead with her new task. I waited a little while, staring as the little girl left my sight before I turned my attention to Ophis, the Dragon looking a little… confused.

"I thought that you would have… spanked her." She tilted her head, eyes blinking while she said that.

I frowned in my own confusion at such… guess. "You mean make use of corporal punishment?"

At her nod, I sighed. "While that would work on a normal situation… Lith's mess doesn't require any of that, I suppose." I replied, not-so-surprisingly her confusion still persisting.

"But… why?" The girl pressed on.

"Parents or older sibling make use of that against young children to instill a 'bad aftermath', which could be spanking or something along the lines, to the naughty things they have committed." I explained with a quiet tone. "Lith doesn't need any of that as her own guilt will be the real punishment."

Ophis frowned. "Her guilt? Why would that work as a… punishment?" The dragon asked.

"She cares a lot for Kunou and Koneko, so even thinking that she had come close to hurt them, her older sisters, even more than how it ended will be a reminder that she will bear for a long time, at least until she will get a grip over morality and maturity." I concluded with a calm sigh. "This is why spanking her would mean going overboard."

She nodded slowly, her eyes picturing the silent understanding of the explanation.

Just as the goth girl looked ready to continue, we both paused as a sudden _familiar_ energy appeared in the living room. I tensed up, my face hardening as I stood up from my seat and glanced one last time at Ophis. "Can you keep watch over Ku-chan? I… I have to deal with him."

The Dragon nodded and I started to walk towards the staircase… ending up in the living room with a scowl directed at the eye-to-eye smile plastered on the face of the shit-lord himself, Rizevim.

The Lucifer looked giddy, yet I could see some sweat rolling from his forehead. He was nervous… but why?

He was sprawled on the couch, staring at me as he knew I would be the one coming to intercept him and…

"Look who's there!" He clapped his hands together once, looking positively elated… much to my enormous chagrin. "Hoitsu, my bro!"

Please Gods, stop him-

"Brorowski! Browstalin! Brofacius! Bro-bro!-" He started to list loudly various nicknames starting with the word 'bro', something that coming from him was… incredibly infuriating.

"Okay, what is wrong?" I asked with a deadpan. "Did Euclid finally snap at your shenanigans?"

He hummed and shook his head. "Nah, but I admit I should be keeping an eye out for something like that. I might end up getting him that much deranged- _but this isn't about Euclid_, which I had sacrificed as a meat-shield to escape the greatest threat to ever walk on Earth."

… "What?"

"You see, while I know that we have lots of differences… that I've tried to kill you on several occasions and… that I am a certified jerk, but I really, _really _need a place to crash right now." He replied with a serious tone. "Like, at least until I'm free from the bane of my existence."

There were so many strange details coming from that cryptic tone but… I just asked the more pressing matter. "How long?" I asked, even though I didn't plan to accept that plea.

Seriously, why should I really accept the bastard in my household?!

"It depends, it might be until she loses interest on me or if she somehow dies and-" Just as he was replying to that, an unfamiliar magical circle furiously formed right on the area between him and me.

A red-haired woman materialized from it, her sight directed my way and… from the small scowl in her face a bright smile formed. I barely had time to see a blur as I found myself still staring at that beautiful face _much_ closer than a few moments ago.

I blinked in surprise, a little blush spreading at the sudden closeness, something that made the woman giggle in amusement. She looked much like… Mio and Sapphire, but slightly older and more carefree.

"So this is Hoitsu Sakakibara? Mhhh..." She glanced all over my face and then nodded. "I can see… how you look so much like him and- Oh right, punishment first and ogling later." The woman leaned back and turned to look at Rizevim, the man having vaulted over the couch as he tried to hide behind it.

"Sweetie, you know that the more you elude your _rightful _punishment, the more I will feel entitled to add more strength at each hit of the spanking." The redhead was coated in a dark-purplish aura, a sinister energy enveloping her as she kept her simple smile while approaching the trembling silver-haired moron.

"M-Mom, I- I wasn't trying to run- you know that I would never do that to you- I just wanted to show you-"

"Your little assistant told me that you were preparing to escape in multiple remote places on Earth." _Lilith_ interrupted with a sickly-sweet tone, some shivers going down my spine even though the words were directed at the hopeless fool. "My little Ri-Ri, how about I tell you how things are going to unfold right now."

She took a simple step forward. "I will bend you over-"

Another step. "I will put you on my lap-"

_Her smile turned demonic_. "And then I will potentially leave some scarring when I'm done with your due punishment."

Rizevim _whimpered_, falling on his butt as he tried to back away from his quick-paced parent.

"M-Mom, please- I swear that I've been doing fine and- Slander! Yes, slanderous words against me!" He tried to climb away from the approaching danger, his mind knowing that he was already doomed but… his body refusing to surrender to the hideous fate.

"Oh? So then you didn't destroy most of the capital of this nation? You didn't kill the parents of that cute Belmont and then try to hurt that lovely and adorable vampire he lives with?"

There was a pregnant pause, tension reaching a higher level as the Lucifer didn't answer to the spot-on accusations and then… he showed a blank face. "I will not apologize."

_Her smile widened even more._

"Good! Then that means I will have no reason to hold back my unholy fury upon your buttocks." She exclaimed happily her steps growing faster much to the man's fear.

"M-Mom please- we can talk and- You look lovely?"

Lilith stopped a moment in her righteous anger, her aura vanishing instantly as she tilted her head with a happy grin. "Oh really? Thank you, Ri-Ri."

Minor relief could be seen on his face, the hope that he had managed to avoid dealing with the worst case scenario he had foreseen back in the meeting relaxing his terrified posture…

_That empty peace was broken when the woman's aura rekindled thrice its previous intensity, the redhead rushing towards him._

"M-Mom, stop!"

"**Bring thy ass!**"

My eyes were wide open as I was the sole witness of the horrifying punishment Rizevim had to go through. The mother was swift, her hand slamming with insane strength and vigor, the scream of pains echoed all over the room as I stood and watched the incredible torture unfold without a simple break or reprieve for the memester.

Twenty minutes passed and soon the disposition of the entire room changed.

I found myself sitting in one of the smaller couches, the woman picking the one standing on the opposite of mine, smiling happily as she relaxed on the comfy seat.

Rizevim was safely left on a far-off long couch, splayed on it as he looked barely alive and in need of some medications. Seriously, this was just from a 'mere spanking', I was afraid of what this woman could do if she ever got angrier than that.

"It's been a while since I tried the softness of a couch. Hades doesn't spare any money on furniture… and then he calls me the leech." She huffed, her voice barely showing any of the dreadful sureness that had driven her to go after Rizevim. "But this is now about… you, Mr. Sakakibara." She said, her red eyes staring intensively at me. "You… are just like my husband. I bet people have already told you that."

I replied with a nod and she sighed. "Then I hope you understand that there is a reason why you look like him-"

"It's a loop." I interrupted quickly. "I know about that and-"

"You wish to stop it." The woman ended my sentence, sighing tiredly. "Your objective is justified and it is something that I wish to end too, but I think you already know everything I can tell you." She admitted with a sad smile.

I blinked in surprise as… that couldn't just be it. There has to be info that only she knew about and…

_**It couldn't be otherwise. Lilith was the closest to Lucifer, she HAS to know something more than what we already know**__._

"Nothing? Not even something about Azrael or anyone that could be trying to resurrect him-"

"Azrael?" She interrupted with a surprised tone, eyes narrowing on me. "What do you know about that lovely sweetheart?"

...What?

"He is the Angel of Death, he seems to have a fixation on Lucifer and he murdered everyone to show his Reset powers-"

"That couldn't be." Her eyes widened at what I was saying. "He- He couldn't- Even during the Great War, even when tempted to help my lover, he would always stay neutral. Why would… _Unless!_"

Lilith stood up from her seat and quickly reached for my face, her eyes glinting a serious light as she started to look over my head.

"W-What?" I tried to ask, but the woman was too much taken by her ministrations to either listen or answer. Finally she stopped and… pressed two of her fingers onto my throat.

"Here it… is..." I felt a strange warmth, unpleasant even, forming as magic wrapped around part of my skin and… started to pull. I blinked in surprise, feeling like something was… off.

I blinked away when I was given the chance to see what Lilith had removed from my body and… I paled as I recognized the _monstrosity _now wriggling in her hold.

Its cover was dark-pink, twitching so fearfully as it now was deprived of the chance of attach itself to a living being. It… it was a flesh bud. Like the ones Dio Brando used in Starddust Crusaders to control unwilling recruits like Kakyoin and Polnareff.

It was at that point that… everything clicked.

The reason why none of the previous Hoitsu ever tried to fight back the plan was… because they were controlled! The flesh bud squirmed one last time before the woman crushed it without mercy.

She sighed and gave me a sorrowful look. "So… this is what he was trying to use it for." Her voice was frail for a moment. "To think that… he would actually end up use it, even though he promised me to never do that." Her eyes closed, a pained expression briefly painting her face and… she opened her eyes with a sad look.

"I'm sorry that you were going to… deal with him in that state. He could control it-"

"And make the host do whatever he wishes them to do." I finished for her, my sight burning on the floor. "I-I know what that was."

_**That fucking bastard! So that's how he managed to accomplish this all without any issue- how he managed to avoid that his younger selves could truly put a stand against him.**_

_The worst thing is… he could have- No, I- He couldn't have forced us to do that but-_

_**Actually, it can be. For as much as we know, the man knows that if 'they' lived, his control over us wouldn't have been absolute and-**_

_We can't allow that!_

My body was coated in darkness as I unconsciously entered in my Senjutsu mode, ripples echoing through the walls of the building as my anger stirred mercilessly within my chest.

Just as I was moments from exploding in a furious fit, I felt a pair of arms wrapping around my neck and… _a soft chest pressing on my face._

Lilith hummed a quiet lullaby as she started to carefully head-pat me, caress my hair while keeping some attention over her strength, my eyes blinking as I felt energy leaving my body, the form dropping moments later as I abandoned myself in that hug.

"Always trying to make everyone happy, but barely understanding that you are a limited being yourself. Someone that needs rest, that needs to eat, that needs to think and… someone that should let others take care of him." Her motherly tone was… alluring. I felt small, I felt… like a child as she continued with the embrace.

"My husband… he was a man of many regrets." The redhead said quietly, minding the moment she had created with her affectionate ministrations. "Regrets that came from himself rather than things he did in his life. He was afraid, never sporting much of a sign about it but… he wouldn't mind crying when he was left alone with himself. It was… heart-breaking, my lover trying and failing to find happiness in even the simplest thing… that's why I tried my best to bring him out of his self-imposed path."

There was some silence, I enjoyed the embrace the best way possible, by staying silent and relaxed as the experienced parent continued to comfort me a little. I was crying a little, it's been just… so much since I had this kind of intimacy with… someone motherly.

Mom was always there, standing her ground as she made sure that her only child would grow up in an upstanding member of society.

I wonder if she would hate me if she knew how low we steeped as Lucifer, how many deeds of terrible magnitude we committed… all for keeping the same order, the same loop.

"There is no need to deny yourself some peace, Hoitsu. I know that you crave some peace, a happy family to love and be loved by." She giggled and then… parted away from me.

My eyes were wide open, tears still flowing as I dumbly tried to understand why she would pull away so suddenly and then… I heard someone sniffling. Attention snapping at the doorstep, I noticed… Lith peeking from there with… tears flowing from her very eyes.

"N-Niichan, w-why are you crying?" The girl asked with a trembling tone, slowly approaching me and then… stopping in front of me. She stared up and then… spread her arms. "H-Hug?"

I blinked once, then twice and… picked her up in a big embrace. She snuggled close and… started to pat my back. "T-That's alright, Niichan. I'm here and… and Ku-chan woke up."

My eyes widened once again at her words and I sighed… in relief. "Lith." The girl tensed a little at her name, waiting for whatever I was going to say next. "T-Thank you."

She nodded, snuggling with even more affection and… I closed my eyes, enjoying the hug a little more before-

"Lith? That's her name?" The redhead asked out of curiosity. "Is that her name or-"

But I smiled and interrupted her by addressing the child. "Lith, this kind lady would like to know your name. Why don't you introduce yourself to her?"

The girl shifted nervously at the request, finally deigning the woman with a glance before… speaking up. "My name is Lilith Sakakibara, nice to meet you!"

…

"Gah! She is so adorable!" The original Lilith squeaked happily, a big smile plastered on her face as the child giggled at such an amusing reaction.

At least there was still something that would never change in that… mess of events.

* * *

**AN**

**Lith will have her own story, a special chapter that will see justice, evildoing and… cuddles!**

**P.S. It's chapter 66, three chapters for a funny number and… yes, there will be a lemon (where I can publish it without being sniped on sight), this one longer than the previous one and… not a dream. Who will be the lucky girl?**

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Na2s****: I've some convoluted plans about Rias (which is not Hoitsu), I'm conflicted about really giving a pairing to Xenovia, never liked how she was used for easy fan-servicing, and Koneko… now that will be fun to explore.**


	68. Pacing things up

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 67: Pacing things up**

* * *

Two days passed lethargically for Kunou and Koneko ever since Lith had given them part of her power during their last spar, both girls having been forbidden from training for a full week as their Magical Cores were far from stable enough to sustain any sudden alteration of medium- and high-caliber.

Of course, there was a collective annoyance from both at having to endure a full seven days away from something they have been doing for a long time now and… they had some trouble in trying to find something to fill the temporary void of time in their daily lives.

Reading, studying even more, playing with tabletop games and… even trying to apply some physical-based training to their schedules. Everything failed at first, especially the last one as, without magic to keep their bodies revitalized while doing mere jogging, push-ups and sit-ups, they couldn't keep up with the pace and the rhythm of the basic training.

Koneko was the first of the two girls to find her temporary hobby, deciding to learn from her sister about Fuinjutsu.

The Japanese Sealing Art isn't certainly something as powerful and flexible as the one shown in Naruto, nor was it as known as in that Anime, but it was still a powerful skill to add to her repertoire, especially since it offered her the chance to integrate some novelty to her fighting style.

Currently learning the simplest part of the Art, the storage seals, what she could currently do well were the principal scrolls, capable of containing about 2Kgs of objects, the highest-quality scroll being capable to actually seal only 50Kgs at best.

Something that would allow her to bring Phoenix's tears and other 'surprises' without the risk of being utterly hindered by the weight or have to be careful about the integrity of some of the objects.

Kuroka knew enough to be considered a decent Sealing Specialist, but not enough to bring some incredibly powerful seal to the counter. Most of those being actually family secrets of the few Devils and magicians that specialized in the mostly-obscure arts, their composition unknown to everyone except those.

Kunou took a little longer to pick something to do to spend her newly-created free time and… I had to admit that the result had been quite a shocker when I first noticed it.

It all started earlier on the second day while I was preparing some lunch alone in the kitchen. Akeno had called a little while before I could start to prepare to say that she was going to turn up late because of some unexpected situation back in Kuoh Academy that required her assistance. Nothing terribly worrying, she had reassured, but the scope of the even would have required a large group led by Sona.

Something that still concerned me for a while but soon ended up shrugging this silly fear away as I knew that there was hardly anything truly worrying that could have happened at the school. Plus, it was just a day before I would have returned to school with Kunou and Koneko, thus if the situation had any lasting problem, I would have dealt with it closely.

Returning back to the kitchen and my increased burden, just as I finished put on my usual apron, I was greeted by the kitsune, the girl asking a very specific request.

"Can I help?"

At that time, this unexpected question would have easily put a halt to my pace but… I was pressured by the little time I had to prepare everything for lunch. So, knowing that some help would have given me the chance of properly get things done quickly, I accepted her support with a smile.

Kunou was inexperienced in working in a kitchen, having been given food prepared by servants back in Kyoto and by me ever since she came to live in Kuoh Town. I was expecting her to have some difficulty early on, having never tried this before, and so I decided to give her the simplest tasks for the various dishes.

Mistakes were made here and there, but with some attention and precision, the quality of the resulting plates was very similar to the normal standards.

The best part of that day? When a giddy and happy-looking Kunou took bites of her partly-burned omelette, showing a bright pride in the fruits of her hard-work. It was cute and it became even cuter when she started to flaunt that some of the plates were made by her.

Akeno smiled widely and nodded proudly at the younger girl, praising that her first attempt was incredibly good. The others by the table shared this very thought and the blonde looked ready to explode in multiple adorable squeaks at the positive attentions she was receiving.

The span of time between lunch and dinner saw my training plans interrupted on a few occasions as both the Himejima and Kunou decided to spend some time trying out making cakes and other sweet treats.

Koneko was more than happy to 'sacrifice herself for the greater good', becoming the unofficial taster of the resulting food coming from incredibly-active oven. Yet that amusing sight became a little awkward when Lith and Ophis came to the 'rescue' and devoured everything that was presented to them, making things rather ethic in the kitchen for some time.

Dinner came and this time the kitsune was once more relegated to secondary tasks, a little more than her first try and… the nervousness and hesitation had mostly vanished by then. I was impressed by how receptive she was of the instructions and how she was smart enough to go beyond some of the tasks' descriptions to add her little input.

Some of those were legitimately interesting, while others were rebuffed because of… unique flavor-clashing.

Dinner was forwarded to the living room and once more Kunou basked in praises from the table, a glowing smile plastered on her face for the entire duration of the meal.

With both Kunou and Koneko put out of commission training-wise, I decided to see how Xenovia and Gasper were faring ever since the first lesson.

The dhampir was… incredibly happier than before. Most of his shyness had gone away, only some aspects of his introversion persisting right now.

It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the notable growth in the young boy's personality to the presence of Valerie and the interactions the young blond would have with the Belmont on a daily basis. While his appearance still held some feminine charm, his clothing choice was slowly changing as he came to visit that very day with a pair of jeans instead of a skirt.

Progress was being made and I think it had to do with the presence of Mathias.

Why was I sure it was the heir to the Belmont family responsible for Gasper's change of clothes? The fact the dhampir was eager to praise the young man whenever he wanted.

I was quick to think it was a childish hero crush… of the platonic degree, nothing romantic on that front.

Xenovia did seem a little more at ease in her posture and mannerism, her wording having somewhat 'matured' from her stiff formality into a kind of attitude that best fitted with someone her age and… time.

The blue-haired girl was close to Gasper and the two picked a seat on one of the larger couches, keeping close to each other and showing familiarity to each other.

"I see that you both have… improved since last time we talked together." I said with a happy smile, something that both replied with a quick nod.

"It's been tough but… I think I understand how much I was doing wrong now." The human girl admitted with a sheepish look.

"And I think… I understand that sometimes even pants can be… comfy." The dhampir continued on the same line while staring briefly at his jeans.

"Mathias said that skirts would leave me defenseless from… perverts." He gave a squeamish look just for a moment at the idea of being subjected to that kind of attention. "This is why I… will put an effort from now on to… put some more boy-related clothes." The boy concluded with an exhausted sigh.

The human female smiled and patted his back. "I think that you look good, Gasper." She praised while smiling brightly.

Something that… made the blond blush a storm and stutter in return. "I- Uh, t-thank you, Xenovia-chan." He bowed his head multiple time, much to my surprise and… intrigue.

_**Could it be that someone-**_

_Is crushing on his newest but also densest friend?!_

Now that was a… curious development. I knew that Gasper had latched onto Xenovia but… to this extent? It was odd and… worth of further research!

But not now, I reminded myself as this wasn't the proper time to address this juicy subject.

"So, I think you both are curious to know why I called you here and… it has to do with your second lesson." I clapped my hands together once. "This time, I think I've planned some important objective to gain and… it will not be as easy as it was with the first task." I mentioned, causing the two teens to appear confused and… slightly unnerved.

"A-And that is?" Gasper asked quietly, his eyes wide open as he braced with whatever I had in store for them.

I smiled. "First thing first, I will tell you the new arrangements." I turned my eyes to stare at Xenovia. "You are going to Kuoh Academy."

She frowned at that simple statement. "I thought you said that I shouldn't be trying to-"

"Be a student, that is still going to be a limitation." I interjected with a sigh. "But I managed to get a job for you to stay within the school's borders and interact with the other students there."

I paused a moment, picking up a few papers I had prepared for the occasion. "This is your… new job application, courtesy of the school's principal and the student council."

I handed these to the girl as she started to read them, her eyes widening moments later as she snapped her attention back to me with a questioning look.

"You… want me to be a teacher's assistant?" She asked with a surprised tone.

"Not just 'a teacher', it will be Mayumi-sensei. It's the woman that was 'harmed' by Irina a week or so ago and… she would require assistance to do her normal workload." I sighed and nodded. "That is why I decided to forward you the opportunity to make experience with… your first job."

There was some silence and then… she nodded. "I understand but-"

"Why?" Gasper interrupted with a confused and blunt question. "I-I mean, it will be good to have Xenovia-chan around more but…"

"The reason is actually part of your newest test, something that frequency in school will help you to achieve." I blinked, my smile widening as the two grew impatient with my mysterious tone and… I dropped the bomb. "From now on, you both will have to make…_ five friends within the Kuoh Academy_."

There was more silence, this time the Dhampir and the human girl keeping themselves from intervening with some of the questions fluttering in their minds. And I wasn't done yet.

"The task itself isn't something to do in a mandatory fashion alone and without advice. There isn't even a time limit and you are free to ask for any issue about the test-"

"C-Can it be someone that we already know?" The blond tried to spot a saving grace… but it was all for naught.

"Nope, new friends. There are numerous student at school and I think it will be easy to find someone that could join your friends' circle." I replied with a calm and understanding tone, while also sparing a stern glance towards Gasper's direction much to his chagrin. "And after this lesson, there will be only a few more that I will have to give before 'passing' you from this 'class'."

The swordswoman frowned. "I thought it would have been longer-"

"It depends all on your growth." I interjected without hesitation. "Your progress is being noted and the plans are going to be flexible by the way you both adapt to the circumstances given."

"So… w-we just have to make… five friends?" The boy was paler than before I told them about the test. "Isn't that… a little excessive?" He asked with a nervous tone.

"Nope." I replied flatly. "I know that you are still recoiling from your social inabilities, but teens your ages should be capable of making friends with a group in their school." I explained quickly, then I turned once more to glance at the girl. "By the way, how are you doing with Durandal, Xenovia?"

She tensed at the sudden question but… she managed a nod before properly answering. "I've been having an easier time using it and… it feels less frustrating." Her comments were restrained but I could see the relief at the fact that she was finding her own success with her training.

"That's good to know. I advise you to keep training as… it will be important." I replied with a cryptic tone much to the young woman's curiosity.

The girl didn't ask more but that very intrigued frown would persist even after lunch and dinner.

The visit then returned to simpler topics, swinging between Xenovia's _discoveries_ allowed by the snickering dhampir while Gasper mentioned that Valerie was making a slow recovery and that her speech was regaining some more integrity as time passed with the therapies.

My own training had been stepped up during this time, my plans focusing on improving my grasp over the Kaioken and the Twilight Joker, to extend my endurance and my capacity to produce energy without straining my muscles too much.

The schedule hardly allowing me any minor pause mid-regiment and I found myself questioning my sanity more than once. There were times that… I felt nostalgia about the past, when I was being trained by Azazel and Baraqiel.

It was tough but… surprisingly rewarding as the results promised were… unquestionable.

If I continued down this path, I will incredibly develop steps further than Rizevim and other Super-Devils!

**But while Hoitsu found resolution and confidence in his stable life, someone else in town was trying to find the balance of his whole being.**

* * *

Vali was in an incredibly foul mood.

The scowl in his face deepened by what had happened mere hours earlier as he discovered the true annoyance of having an old relative that didn't want to murder or torture him.

Lilith was a powerful woman. Period.

There wasn't anything that the young host of the Vanishing Dragon could say about the raw power and experience his great-grandmother would display in… a rather absurd manner.

When he had first met her as she dragged the incredibly-maimed body of the annoying bastard himself, she decided to spare him some time and engage in some chirpy conversation with him.

It was an odd situation, something that the Lucifer would have hardly expected to happen with a member of his family, except his cousins and his aunt.

They talked about… everything, from the time his father decided to attack him for his potential to the way he ended up siding with Grigori and form a rivalry with Hoitsu Sakakibara, and the silver-haired young man found himself questioning the sanity of the woman that was Lilith Morningstar.

The woman was… understanding. Incredibly wise and attentive with her attitude towards him but also playful and giddy to meet one of the youngest members of her family. It was odd to have someone to smoother him with such effort and intensity… while also being mindful of his annoyance and disinterest in engaging in anything remotely intimate.

That wasn't the problem.

The real issue was presented by the terribly foolish idea of his of… sparring with the redhead.

The motherly figure was more than happy to accept the challenge and she seemed to be quite relaxed and accommodating of his attacks… until she stepped up 'just a notch or two'.

The resulting beat-down was partly-expected and wasn't exactly what left him a sore loser from that engagement. It was what the woman then said, trying to explain to him why he had lost that 'simple fight'.

"You seek power for the sake of power." She had mentioned with a dull tone. "It's a faulty reason, one that doesn't bring the worst out of you when the necessity rises. You need someone to care and trust about." Her lips closed, displaying a tiny smile as he snarled at her voice as he left his flat.

In his mind, a storm of emotions and doubts besieged his attention. While Lilith knew more than enough to make her words worthy of more than a few considerations, Vali couldn't find within himself the willingness to endear the opportunity of… _befriending someone_.

There were allies, surrogate (and distant) family and… Hoitsu.

No matter how much Albion wanted to have his host fixed on Ddraig's current holder, the Lucifer's attention was locked onto the unique human.

His growth was unmatched, something that the silver-haired Devil had started to get close to ever since the fight with that deranged angel. Utter training, a devotion to learn, improve and fix flaws within his own fighting style and attitude in battles.

Zealous over his reasons, a milestone that flexibly expanded the more he came close to it. It enticed him to go for more, to strive for more and… then what?

The woman's words repeated in his head, causing him to close his eyes in annoyance as he turned the corner of the mostly desolate road. He expected to enjoy a simple day outdoors without having to deal with the usual cast of fools now living in Kuoh but…

**Thud**

His eyes snapped open as he found a brunette falling to the ground. The girl was wearing spectacles, her hair tied in braids on each side and she was wearing… the Kuoh Academy uniform.

He sighed as he noticed the panicking expression painted on her face and… he proceeded to stop her fall by grabbing both of her hands with his own. He pulled her up, her golden eyes widening in surprise as she was put back on a normal posture while… Vali walked away without muttering anything.

Why waste air around someone that meant nothing to him-

"H-Hey wait!"

Much to his minor surprise and immense dismay, the girl had indeed recovered way quicker than he had hoped for and she rushed towards him. The brunette walked fast and reached him in mere moments and-

"T-That was a cool save!" She complimented with a big smile. "And to think someone this hot was walking around town- what's your name, oh friendly hunk?" She asked with a strange expression on her face.

He blinked, his eyes lazily locking onto hers before pulling away and ignoring her. She blinked, a small pout appearing on her face as she continued to walk beside him.

"Hey, while you are a hot stud, I remind you that good manners are still a thing, you know?" The girl huffed, arms crossing near her chest. "It would also be courtesy if you introduces yourself first."

"I'm not interested in dealing with-"

"And why is that?" She interrupted with some anger dripping from her lips. "I don't think I said anything _completely _inappropriate since I've interacted with you and what I'm asking is just some speck of respect!"

He blinked and glanced her way, his stare silently bore onto her and made her shiver just for an instant… before she blushed and smiled giddily. "Oh my, is that what you are interested in~? Silently ogling the innocent bod of a lovely school girl-"

"You are incredibly annoying." He commented with an irritated voice. "I'm not interested in sparing some words with a complete stranger that is incredibly crass and infuriating."

She froze for a moment before nodding slowly. "L-Look, there is no need to be that rude. I just wanted to- Eep?!"

It happened suddenly, the filthy fiend appearing from the nearby alley and wrapping an arm around the girl's neck, in his other hand a small knife that was poised over her throat. "Y-You better g-give me your money!" He tightened his hold over the scared brunette. "Or your friend is going to-"

**Crunch.**

The punch was thunderous, the attacker's nose cracking at the 'meek' intensity and bringing the man away from that constricting hold. The girl fell on her butt as the man tripped backwards, hand dropping the blade as it went to press on the bleeding spot on his face.

His eyes were wide open, his face pale as he stared at Vali with a terrified look and… then he started to run away on the opposite direction the fastest possible.

The Lucifer spared some thoughts about giving chase and kill the bastard before he could poise any other hindrance during any future walks of his but… his stare lowered to the still grounded girl.

She had a pained expression on her face, her hands pressing onto a… cut now present on her leg. Glasses from some bottles, she fell onto some and… the cut looked rather interesting. It wasn't as shallow as he would have expected at first sight and… she should really need someone to look at the injury.

He blinked, mind conflicting about whatever or not should he interfere and lend her a hand but…

The girl was annoying, why would he decide to help her after she had given him so much trouble? It was also her fault that the homeless man decided to cause a scene and…

The brunette sniffled, her eyes sporting some tears that slowly rolled off her cheeks. Yet her stare wasn't even gracing him once, her attention directed at the wound as she hopelessly tried to stop the bleeding by applying her hands onto it.

It was… an interesting situation, one where the girl should have asked him to help her, maybe nag him more but… then again-

"_**I'm not interested in sparing some words with a complete stranger that is incredibly crass and infuriating."**_

He did mention that he didn't care for her to that simple extent, she surely knew that he wouldn't help even if it would have still been common sense to ask about. She was… stubbornly clinging by her ground, giving her best to ignore the smartest choice and…

She was a moron that dejectedly resisted at the simplicity of reality and stood her ground against him. An utter moron that let out a quick sob, biting down any other noises caused by the pain she was suffering.

...Goddammit.

A fool that was carefully picked in a bridal-carry as he rushed towards the closest hospital in town. Her arms latched over his neck as she helped him in the rather annoying position, keeping quiet as he rushed away from the area and right where she could get some proper help.

He blamed the way his rival had unknowingly rubbed off on him with his altruistic personality, with his hero-like need to save those close to him and… those that were weaker than him.

What an incredibly irking situation he was supposed to deal with!

But while Vali was interested in the objective at hand, the brunette continued to smile eye-to-eye, her mind's gears spinning furiously as she felt like she scored big time.

**It would seem like Aika Kiryuu found a 'proper man' that knew how to press **_**her **_**buttons. One could wonder what will happen when… she will have to reward him for his kindness~.**

* * *

**AN**

**Ladies and gents, here is the female pervert in person. Aika Kiryuu is there to… seduce VALI!?**

**Who wrote this?! I swear to God that this wasn't.**

_**Feminine giggles echo through the house.**_

**Ambar? Goddammit, stay in your story and… Oh no! I need to check if she- no- if she did touch these too it… it's all lost!**

**NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**(Yes, this is a shameless plug for Golden Month [It's NSFW and it isn't for kiddies so… not in the usual forums]. I'm bored and I don't known what to put in here and… Ciao!**

**P.S. Almost forgot. Happy Thanksgiving Day for those that live in the old US and A!(Just like good Borat would say). Remember to stuff yourself with food, regret it in the following few hours and then sleep full and easy to heat up. **

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**CodeZerone****: Vali will have his own problems… like the one above.**

**Mighty Magneto****: Nope! Only head-patting and hand-holding allowed! (Which is sacrilegious to an extent but… DESU VULT!) **


	69. The Comfort and the Hurt

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 68: The Comfort and the Hurt**

* * *

It was a sunny morning the one that welcomed Kunou and me to the little trip I had promised her.

The girl was exuding giddiness as she playfully looked around the train that was leading us to Kyoto, her mother having been more than happy, if not eager, to invite us to her palace. It was kind of nostalgic, the sight of the girl looking at everything and everyone with a curious but positive gaze.

She looked like a little child, something that had partly vanished quite recently as she had been fighting and building up her own maturity over life.

It's been now five days since she had that unique spar with Koneko and things had slowly taken a turn back to 'normalcy' for everyone. The day before had been incredibly curious as it was our return to Kuoh Academy.

Koneko had thought about going back too but… she ultimately decided against it. There wasn't much to do there and she preferred to spend her time with her sister while training and developing even more. A choice I was more than happy to accept at the price of getting a promise out of her about doing the usual homework load without whining, nor complaining.

Surprise was an underwhelming word to describe the overall reception from both students and teachers, as there had been a continuous stream of individuals greeting us and 'welcoming' us for our 'first' day at school.

Issei and Asia had been happy, the two attaching themselves to the small group as we went for a normal day at the Academy. The teachers were glad to have a 'model-student' as I was back at school, something that motivated me to appear a little more polite than usual.

The usual school day went by without any issue and then I tackled another situation about it as… I went back to the Student Council classroom. Tsubaki had greeted me with a quick friendly hug, her face sporting a happy smile as she welcomed me inside the room.

Sona had been fairly grateful that I did accept to return to the Student Council in my old seat as now she could get some rest from my 'absurd torture' of a paperwork, a decision that was 'religiously' praised by the two girls that had been assigned to my newly-regained post.

Reya and Ruruko literally crying tears of joy of having their 'insanely-burdened senpai' back. I chuckled in response to that and gave a brief hug to both girls while thanking them for their hard-work during my absence.

Saji gave the most normal of greeting, merely stating a 'Welcome back, Senpai' before being yanked away by the president herself for some manual labor. It seemed like some things never changed since I had left...

After-school was incredibly easier than I remembered, the new uniforms and other cuts to the other senseless papers within the School's budget having been either reduced or utterly removed from the official listing.

What would have usually taken more than three hours to conclude was done in a single hour and… the return home was instantly devoted to the small meal Akeno had prepared for both the Kitsune and me back at home.

Homework followed, my mind stirring quickly as I went through the Math exercises and the Japanese literature texts to read and paraphrase were easy because of the various exercises we both did ever since leaving the Academy.

Then… it was Saturday and, early in the morning, the blonde was already looking radiant and ready to tell her parent how things have been ever since she had left her family's home. She was 'glowing' at the idea and I merely smiled at the adorable display of impatience she would show once or twice during the voyage.

I yawned, enjoying the pleasant natural view of the various stops between Kuoh Town and the former Japanese capital. Two hours of quiet waiting passed and then… we were there.

Kyoto was as beautiful as I remembered it, the place having hardly felt the effects of the changes around Japan, and it was nice to see that something had gone unchanged after so much time. A month might sound a very limited amount of time for something as big as the city was to really change, but with what had happened in Tokyo, it wasn't that wrong to expect some… differences.

Kunou's golden eyes glanced around, the human-looking kitsune enjoying walking once more back in her hometown, her smile never faltering as we went for a long walk to reach the palace. The Yokai district was as vibrant as it was the first time I came to visit, the place that accepted the 'monster' population was well-guarded by several patrols checking all the corners, something that was indeed different from what I remembered.

Some of the guards stopped mid-walk, to either greet us with a bow or merely give a military salute before resuming with their task. Kind of an odd behavior from the knight-like men and women, I've to admit, but I guess that Yasaka did explain that her daughter was under my careful and caring watch.

The guarded front door was slowly opened as we presented proper documents at the garrison stationed there and we quickly entered inside the entrance room of the building. Maids, butlers and several other servants of different races rushed all over, some stopping to greet us after taking notice of our presence.

In the end, one of them, an elder cyclops decided to guide us to the throne room, his pace slow but quick enough to not appear like a delay of sort. He stopped right at the familiar doors that led to the very place where Kunou's mother would spend numerous days going through paperwork, complains and other issues about her Yokai faction.

The doors were pushed open and… the room was surprisingly void of any paper and people there and only Yasaka was there, waiting with a smile as her eyes were fixed on her daughter, barely glancing my way to greet me.

The girl's smile exploded as she went to rush towards her parent, her foxy features sprouting to life as she quickly went for a tackle-hug. The woman's arms were ready and prepared for the impact as she swiftly scooped her daughter from mid-air to hold her dearly close.

"My little Ku-tan is back~." The elder Kitsune whispered to the girl, making the teen go stiff for a moment before melting in the embrace. Yet her bright golden orbs were directed at her parent's face as she spoke back.

"M-Mama, I'm back." The girl replied with a happy stutter, nuzzling close to her… revealing chest. I had to look away more than once, out of respect and… dignity. "I-I missed you." Kunou admitted while burying herself in her mother's chest.

"And I missed you too, sweetie." The woman replied with an amused tone, squeezing the younger blonde closer.

Moments passed before Yasaka noticed my presence, her eyes briefly going wide as she saw me. I admit I could have easily caught her attention by waving and… all of that, but I decided to leave them the chance of properly reconnecting.

"O-Oh, I almost forgot about you-" Her face sported some little mortification before switching back to a genuine friendly smile. "_Hekisho-kun_."

I frowned, showing some confusion and embarrassment at the nickname. It's been a while since… I was called like that.

"Hoitsu will do fine, Yasaka-san-" I tried to answer back, but I was interrupted by a huff from her.

"Then please, if you wish to be called as such, then you may call me with the same tone." She demanded with a calm tone, her smirk hiding something odd but I went along with it. I didn't see anything that could have hinted at what was going to happen and thus… I spoke up.

"Understood, Yasaka-"

"Mama." She interrupted, with a bigger smile, her lips twitching upward at my shell-shocked expression. Confusion, embarrassment and… even more confusion stirred in my chest and the woman giggled at the look I had plastered all over my face, Kunou soon following her example.

"Ku-tan told me in her letters that you both consider each other siblings in all but blood, something that you were keen to mention even in yours." The woman explained with a smile. "This is why I wouldn't mind to consider you a child of mine too, especially since you are quite interesting to have in my family."

I blinked. "I-Isn't that hasty-"

"Considering that time is a feeble thing?" Yasaka asked with a calm but tired tone. I wonder if this was referring to what had happened recently or… about something deeper in her past. "I can assume it's quite sudden, but I wish to explore this possibility, Hoi-bou." A giggle left her lips as I frowned with some annoyance at the childish honorific used to address me.

I mean, I can see her using the masculine term that resembled the -tan after the affectionate manner displayed with Kunou, but I was slightly irritated by that nonetheless as I wasn't… that young.

I huffed, nodding at her. "Understood, Yasa-haha."

I called her 'mom'. Even though Lilith did show some propensity to consider me her surrogate son and that I did have a mother that didn't show that affection before being hypnotized, I think Yasaka was the closest being that got to get to be called as such by me.

Not mother, not the overly-sweet 'Mama', but 'mom'.

There was a pleased look on her face, surprise manifesting for a while before mixing with the happiness in her regal expression.

Another melodious giggle ensued. "T-That was an interesting approach, Hoi-bou." She admitted with a mirthful note. "I suppose that now it would be proper to learn more about each other."

And in that moment, I felt some odd dread forming within my chest. She stood up from her chair and started to walk towards me, Kunou's smile twitching giddily as soon I was… tackled down by both Kitsunes.

With a groan and enduring a round or two of tickling, I was sure that this day was going to be a fun one for sure.

* * *

Azazel was fairly sure that his luck had just taken a sudden turn to the shittiest situation possible.

When his lovely secretary peeked in from his office's doorstep, the Fallen Angel had a fatigued smile on his face as he had been close to end the paperwork of the day. Seriously, it was impressive how many issues were caused by older members of Grigori rather than rookies, some even going as far as citing brawls because of mere indecision about who was going to get the last pudding in the cafeteria.

He turned his attention to her, surprised to see her actually by the door rather than just buzz from the intercom installed in her cubicle. The girl was just too shy to consider the option of walking to him to give him news and… it was also a matter of efficiency, he could say without any problem.

If there is something that made life easy for everyone, why not apply it to his faction.

That was a thought that even that moron of Ajuka was keen to show with his toys sold at the various families in Hell. Azazel couldn't still forget of the time when the green-haired nerd would go as far as to test if by selling simple Iphone, people would have noticed the scam and got him in trouble.

The thirst of the danger, he defined it, something that the Fallen Angel considered more of an 'idiocy of the dumb nerd'. The resulting effect? People were trying to build temples in the former Astaroth's name just for bringing that useful and delightful device at everyone's reaching.

Ah, good old times-

"A-Azazel-sama, there is-" She paused, gulping nervously. The young woman looked incredibly frightened in that moment and the Governor-General felt that something was definitively off about this. "There is a… someone wishes to join Grigori." She finally said, waiting silently for a reaction to that.

"Shouldn't that be Shemhazai's work? I swear, if he's lazying around with Ajuka again, I will-"

"I-It's **her** request to speak with you, sir." She interrupted quickly, her face getting paler and paler the more time passed.

At this point, Azazel felt that whoever was standing a few meters away from his sight… was someone that knew about him and wanted _him_, of all people, to vet her for the group.

It was a strange predicament where his logic was quick to tell him to refuse to meet with this person, yet his sanity wasn't allowing him to properly understand this and...

_What a curious yet terrifying situation._

It just felt like he had to check about whoever was waiting on the other side, the very curiosity that brutally murdered the cat. But what if the cat was actually the Schrodinger's kitty and his brain was derailing to the worst trail of thoughts possible?

Feeling that after several hours of mind-breaking paper-signing his mind was ready to crack down, the man nodded at the secretary.

"Please, invite her in."

The young woman nodded quickly, disappearing even faster to bring to him… **her.**

His eyes went full-wide when the smiling redhead walked in holding what seemed to be a… recruitment leaflet. "Hello, Azzie." The woman greeted mirthfully, bowing just for a moment before approaching his desk and taking one of the seats in front of his. "I suppose I have to properly introduce myself as per regular job interview-"

"Why." He interrupted her with a flat tone. "Why are you here, Lilith-"

"I think you are forgetting something to add at my name, Azzie. You were after all a little trouble-maker that had a partner-in-crime in me back in Heaven." She pointed out with a smirk.

"Was that before or after you literally sent me flying into a volcano during the Great War?" He sarcastically asked. "But sure, _Auntie_ Lilith, why are you here annoying me?" The man finally demanded and the lady sighed.

"Do you remember what I was keen to nag about even during the peace talks?" She returned with another question much to the Fallen Angel's groan.

"Rizevim?" He guessed, getting a half-hearted negative from the woman. "Either that or the 'pompous bastards that keeps whining at our doorstep'. You were very active in drilling this in Michael's and my heads, seriously I can understand paperwork can be unfair but-"

"They are still trying to get me back on the throne." She replied dryly, getting a frown from Azazel.

"You mean Zekram-"

"It's all Sirzechs… and Serafall. Ajuka is stuck in his lab doing… stuff, while Falbium is still the same sweetheart that could decently keep up with some hard-work." Lilith corrected with a nod. "But I think it's mostly Serafall. The girl was always a soft-core worker even back in her teenage years… now she is all stuck between papers and nagging people, I bet she has been regretting for some time saying that my job was easier than a mere soldier…_ that prissy little moron of a giggly girl._"

"You mean that-"

"She tried to 'capture me' in broad daylight while I was going to buy some groceries," The woman admitted. "But sadly enough, either nerves or lack of a proper crying shoulder for dealing with some idiots with roles within the Foreign Affairs led her to adopt the mantle of… a magical girl while trying to kidnap me."

The leader of Grigori nodded. "She has been at it for decades now, saying that Magical Girls are cool and that kind of stuff."

"Always the weird one in the bunch… but I thought she would have liked more Kamen Rider and Super Sentai because of the flamboyant attacks and action rather than frilly-dressed Magical Girls." There was some confusion and surprise, something that the Governor-General understood to the fullest.

He could still remember when the already-giddy girl would start walking around as Magical Girl Milky Spiral Seven, her bright dress making her stand out even more than usual… while blinding people that were unfortunately too close to here.

It had taken the very culprit of the 'change', that idiot of Ajuka with his Anime-related hobbies, to convince her that _having her clothes bathed in intensely-reflective clothes wasn't a good idea for the sake of people's eyes._

In the end, even Azazel had to admit that the reasoning behind the girl's style was legitimized by… Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Things had never been the same for him ever since the day where he went to check that 'children' cartoon.

She had slowly gotten less chance of showing pride in her 'uniform' as her younger sister did found the whole concept aberrant as everyone was. Subdued as it was, her hobby was still quite insane to try to understand even for a nutty guy as Azazel.

"So you decided that the solution to this problem was joining Grigori." The man returned back to the main issue of this very moment. "Lilith, you know that-"

"I don't want any leading position." She interjected quickly. "Even working as the chef for any of the garrisons would be fine by me, just… _don't let them take me back to the nagging, I beg you, Azzie!_"

"I can't risk war-"

"B-But then I will have to tell my son that you were a jerk and didn't help me." She rebuked with a faux sob, Azazel frowning at that statement and he sighed.

"Look, while Rizevim could prove to be a problem, I don't think I will even consider accepting if-"

"I wasn't referring to him." Lilith smiled giddily. "I was referring to Hoitsu."

…

"Beg your pardon, did you just call the boy 'your son'?" He asked blankly, his eyes widening once more at her eager nod. "Excuse me, _but how the fuck did you get this idea through?_"

"He is like a mini-Heliel, why would I refuse to adopt someone _that_ adorable?" She shot back with a calm tone.

He frowned. "Wouldn't Rizevim-"

"Oh, I thought too that he was going to get angry at it but… he was actually happy about it." Her voice sported some surprise. "He was glad that now he wouldn't have to fit the whole 'model heir kind of shenanigans'."

He sighed, keeping the silence for some time and… then he nodded. "So you want to join Grigori, this means there will be no 'your highness' there." The Fallen Angel reminded, unsurprisingly the woman smiling at that.

"More than happy to not have that of all things I'm trying to avoid." She replied happily.

"You will be assigned to Kuoh Town for the time being." He added, drawing a brighter smile from her.

"That is perfect!"

"And you will be keeping watch over Rizevim-"

"Oh c'mon-!"

"No complaining. If I have to be your new boss, I want a guarantee that you will follow even the 'scariest' of orders." The man pressed on much to the redhead's annoyance. "By the way, can you tell me where the boy is right now? I know from Baraqiel that he isn't in Kuoh Town right now."

"A two-days long holiday in Kyoto. He said something about spending some family time with Kunou and her mother." The woman commented distractedly. "I'm quite glad that these two are as close as true siblings, kind of makes me sad since it reminds me of… how Rizevim never thought well of Wilbert and Sapphire."

With the brat out of Kuoh Town and relaxing with some trustworthy people, Azazel felt relief washing over him. It has been nagging to him for a while now that Hoitsu wasn't getting any proper rest away from the workload.

Sure, the boy was capable of dealing with the infuriating amount of paper but- to think that he would get this far from that little time? It was intriguing and concerning. The boy, albeit stronger than when he started in Grigori, was still a mortal and capable of dying by over-work.

Some rest was more than needed and happily-given considering the recent circumstances.

The Governor-General shifted the discussion back to Rizevim, unwilling to spare too much attention to the recovering youth.

"There is always a rotten egg in the family-"

"To the point of killing their own brothers?" Lilith shot back with a harsh tone. "I am his mother, _Azazel_. While Rizevim could be a fucking moron when he wants to be, I can't condone the fact he killed his brother, _my child_." She sighed, eyes closed in contemplation. "I thought hard and long about it and I came to realize that, while he is my son… he will have to pay for several crimes."

Azazel nodded. "There are just too many horrible deeds he committed and-"

"I wish to be the one that will execute him."

… "W-What?"

She sighed gravely. "When Lucifer was still alive and… not yet fighting with the entire world, he would always tell me to keep an eye for Rizevim's unique behavior, saying that he needed a close attention to grow properly." The woman hummed quietly. "Maybe I was… still grasping the concept of being a mother or… or I just missed the moment he just stopped to care about trying to make people care for him."

"Rizevim could have asked help to his father-"

"But he was afraid of latching too much onto him, that he needed to… become his own man rather than be his father's shadow." The woman's red eyes were fixed on the desk as she slouched on the chair. "I… I am at fault for his behavior-"

"You are not." Azazel interjected with a stern voice. "You were there for him, Lucifer was always there for his family and… it was Rizevim's fault that he didn't need any help."

…

"Thank you, Azzie." Lilith nodded, a small smile appearing on her face. "It's nice to know that… you are still somewhat wise about this topics." She praised him, her words warming him as he remembered back when they would spare some discussions about mundane stuff.

There wasn't a general topic, it was always so random and… he really missed those times.

The self-whine coming from that level of hard-work, he presumed and soon… he nodded.

"Since you haven't _technically_ caused Grigori any major issue, I think you fit with the requirements of recruitment." He stretched his hand towards her. "It's good to have you- oh?"

Why his hand felt this warm now? And why it was… so comfy.

The woman's hair covered her expression while Azazel slowly realized that his distracted mind had unwittingly sent his lone palm upon the midst of two hills.

Mistakes were made, would have been his words if Lilith hadn't moved quicker than him.

The slap was painful, it was strong enough to send him crashing onto the library behind his back and… onto the concrete wall behind said library. He groaned, his eyes catching the sight of the woman leaving with a huff, but still waving calmly at him as she left.

He sighed, feeling like he had aged a thousand of years with that little hit and… Gods, he had missed having to deal with that intriguing and crazy woman.

She, Heliel… they were what made Heaven a tad bit easier to live in before he questioned God's rule himself.

Good times, the Fallen Angel thought before falling asleep, a slowly-approaching Shemhazai stopping just a few meters away from him and… started to poke his nose with a _wooden stick_.

That utter bastard!

* * *

**AN**

**Shooting lazers, hitting the beat, preparing a lemon and… tomorrow is December 1 (LeGasp!) and that means I will also upload the first chapter of the sidestory starring Junichi and Raynare.**

**Want to see something fun? Try God-tier comedy.**

**Also… yes, I think I will nap right now. It's quite late and -ZZZZZ!**

_**...Psst! This is Lady Ambar and I silently hijacked his planning schedule to add a Golden Month's update. Let's hope he doesn't miss it… and I think he is planning to do a censored version of it for other forums- (Connection Lost!)**_

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**CodeZerone: Wholesome, comedy and slice of life? I'm THE man!**

**PrimeOdin: It's 'Aika' and yes, it will be glorious!**


	70. Rekindling the Happiness

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

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**Warning****: This Chapter contains a Lemon. It's advised to those younger than the legal Adult age to skip the portion when the next warning is spotted. **  
**Your discretion is advised. **

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**Chapter 69: Rekindling the Happiness**

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Today was truly turning to be the best day ever for Kunou.

Not only she was finally back home, to her room and with her Mama, but her Niichan was there too!

Kyoto just felt a different breath of air from Kuoh and, while she enjoyed her time in her newest home, she just wanted so badly to sprawl upon her super-comfy bed once more. A pity that her Niichan had declined the offer of having a nap, saying that it was still too early for something like that.

Her logic agreed to his, but the kitsune was just _so giddy and…_ then Mama decided to ask about her current progress. Her studies, her improvements in theoretical and practical fighting, her friends and if she was alright.

It was the usual worries her Mama would have during trips outside of Kyoto, thus the girl merely shrugged off without hesitation the questions with quick answers, knowing well enough that words would easily… create misunderstanding with normal circumstances.

Careful phrasing and a rightful touch of emotion was enough to deter Yasaka from probing too much from her daughter. Instead the older blonde was eager to ask from a 'more reliable source', which was her Niichan.

Hoitsu was quick with his replies too, but he would pause here and there to give some well-described situations from the recent past. Nothing overly-dramatic, yet Kunou's keen eyes spotted a sudden tension rising within her mother's body when what happened in Tokyo was brought up by the young man.

The story was incredibly summarized, major details omitted for the sake of not prolonging the visible concern in Yasaka's face and… then the discussion shifted to a more direct topic as the woman turned her attention once more at Niichan.

"By the way, Hoi-bou, I wish to see how strong you are." The older kitsune said with an intrigued tone. "It's been… a month? I would like to see how far have you gone after _the nervous little Hekishou that I met back a long time ago._" Kunou shared a giggle with her Mama at Hoitsu's groan, but the girl's mind found itself in a conundrum as she didn't know what to think about a fight between her Mama and her Niichan.

Who was the strongest? Was she supposed to cheer for one of them or was she allowed to cheer them both?

She masked her inner conflict and soon the three of them were walking inside the family's dojo. Incredibly different from the training area back in Kuoh Town, this very dojo was something provided as a gift to Yasaka by Amaterasu herself.

Powerful magic rendered this room sound-proof and its integrity was god-like by several Court Mahous that had been tasked of studying and understand its complex nature to the fullest.

Something that made things quite awkward as Kunou knew particularly well that both 'sparring partners' weren't going to hold back too much. Hoitsu looked a little doubtful, something that disappeared in the smiling poker face present on the older Kitsune's face.

"I suppose I should prepare myself since… I heard that you have fought against interesting monsters." The woman's smile widened. "I hope you don't mind getting burned once or twice in this friendly spar." The indirect jab was intercepted quickly by a frown on the young man's face.

"Then I will try to_ not_ get burned, Yasa-haha." He replied with an amused tone. "But I hope that you are fine if I starts to throw a punch or two through your defense." He shot back in a light-hearted tone, gaining a snort from the blonde and… the fight began.

Kunou had taken seat on the warmed floor just outside the protective barrier that kept the attacks from the fight from leaving the mini-arena. Her golden eyes were wide-open as she managed to attentively notice the actions and the movements of the intense clash that ensued.

Hoitsu's raw style had been molded by experience and self-training, something that held well against the more precise, delicate style her Mama was known for. Swift, powerful open-palm attacks that guaranteed to the user a dangerous edge against their opponent.

The young man noticed quickly, his posture switching to a more flexible one as he noticed the stiffness of such stance. And while the first few attacks failed to even come close to his body, just as her Niichan turned to rush a kick to her Mama's face-

**Twack!**

The shinai, a bamboo-made sword, slapped him right on his left cheek. The 'blade' was being held by a smiling Yasaka, her eyes glinting predatorially as she prepared another hit.

Maybe it was greed, maybe it was hope to get some damage done early on.

It didn't matter, the boy rushing out of the shinai's range, one of his hands massaging the bruised cheek. "T-That did sting." He stated with a huff.

The blonde tilted her head and smiled. "You are sparring against a Kitsune, Hoi-bou. Do you perhaps want me to give you a break or-" She didn't have time to finish the taunting that her guard was once more up, the young man rushing to the close action. "What a rude son!" She exclaimed with a smirk as she prepared to whack him once more.

Kunou blinked. It was odd how her mother would… end up whacking her various sparring partner without mercy during training. It was one of her strangest behaviors during fights.

**Right as her shinai swung** around to strike the unprotected face of her opponent, Yasaka's eyes went wide in surprise as her blade was yanked away from her soft hold _by a silver string._

The punch brought an end to the simple shock, the pain enough to remind her of the fight and… that her opponent wasn't nothing to scoff at in terms of cunning skills.

The woman jumped back, her hand massaging her hurting… _left cheek_. She blinked up to his smug smirk and… giggled. "That did _sting~_." The kitsune hummed happily.

"_You are sparring against a __**trickster**_, Yasa-haha. _Do you perhaps want me to-_"

She zeroed the distance before he could finish, a twitching smile pressing on her face as she felt too amused to actually muster up a serious and stronger stance. They clashed momentarily, her palm stopped by his elbow and… then they exchanged hits that were subsequently deflected, dodged or blocked.

A carefully choreographed with tense but precise improvisation. What a playful display of actions and reactions that were unfolding all at once and…

He backed away from the close encounter, energy building up in his hands as a _sudden yellow beam shot from his palms._

"Masenko!"

The attack was actually weaker than it looked like. A flashy technique but… why would he use it so suddenly? And why shout out its name as he-

The kick driving on her stomach made her realize a detail that was seriously going to hinder her capacity to think well of her surrogate son. He was a brutal prankster.

A distraction, a very stupid one. Yet something that did get her attention away from her target long enough for him to rush at her position and start to capitalize on her gawking.

_It's been too long since she had to be on her tip-toes while fighting someone._

A little trick, one that will_ not_ happen ever again. Hopefully.

Soon Yasaka was able to push away the attacking youth, using her fox fire to create a protective circle of flames around her general proximity and prompting him to retreat away from her.

Without skipping a beat, the woman unleashed a massive barrage of low-intensity fireballs from her fox fire and went to try and catch Hoitsu off-guard.

There was panic on his eyes when he saw the multiple fireballs rushing quickly towards him, but he properly reacted by erecting a barrier of Thunder-based magic. The electric curtain absorbed the flames and dispersed them without issues.

A pout presented itself on her face as her mind realized that he was very well above that kind of niceties. It was time to step up her game.

Her core increased its energy input, her body was soon enveloped with a blurry-like aura as her animal-like features started to turn more refined. Golden eyes shone brightly as the woman rushed with renewed strength and doubled speed against her opponent, her **Wild Sense** managing to get a surprised jaw-drop from the youth _before he was decked painfully in his face._

The hit was powerful enough to send him flying against the barrier, the semi-transparent wall glowing a little more as he impacted onto it and… tensed at the sudden pain just for a moment, the next one being already returning the courtesy as his eyes burned red and his body was coated with dark smoke.

Curious, she remembered having heard of this form and… yet it reminded her of someone that was well-beyond this kind of gifts.

Surprisingly enough, they clashed with equal strength, vibrations echoing through the floor and the walls around them and… they smiled as they resumed their previous exchange of attacks.

It was now all blurred, their steps, their hits, their blocks, their faces and… yet it was all but a delightful spar that was growing more intense by the second. She wanted to burst in giggles, the chuckle being withhold by the boy enough of a reason to be immensely amused by the fact her daughter had someone this extraordinary around.

Now she could see why she was all latched to him, despite the clear differences.

Personality-wise, both were lonely _children_ trying to understand the world and, since they both shared this interest in common, they bonded over wonder, mystery and trust.

A bond that had grown to an intriguing degree, something that had come very close to… how she had felt with her former lover.

Enma had been a particularly strong Yokai with even stronger principles, a beacon of dreams and joy in the making. The only thing that truly differentiated him from the boy before her was… the way Hoitsu looked at Kunou.

Her long-gone husband reciprocated her romantic love early on and it was clear that it was that kind of love from the very beginning.

Yet Kunou and her 'Niichan' were destined to be siblings. It might sound like a hopeless and dreamy outlook of their development as brother and sister, but it was like that.

From the very first sight, her daughter knew that Hoitsu would turn out to be someone very important in her life. Her curiosity sparked from that simple, yet meaningful encounter… was enough to prepare a catalyst.

The 'ultimate spell' was when in a moment of pressure, of nervousness and panic, their truest emotion manifested and… they latched at each other, keeping themselves away from the threat facing them.

The human being incredibly protective of the girl and her child being more than keen to listen up to her older brother from the very moment that danger tried to hurt them both.

Her little kit was currently cheering for both her Mama and her Niichan, a little family that… she was glad to have still around. There were moments where Yasaka could have easily conceded to the tiring and draining effects of her duty and… yet she kept herself from falling at the idea of losing that precious smile plastered on her beautiful daughter's face.

And now, in the span of a little eternity, the woman was granted a new family member. It just… fit so well in her mind. He was so lonely, she could see it, _smell _it from his scent and…

…

…

Hoitsu looked quite in pain when Yasaka returned from her silent musings, the young man groaning while lying on the floor. There was no blood, only some bumps appearing on his arms and face.

_Did she just went in a minor frenzy while daydreaming?_

What an embarrassing development! She thought with a sigh while also chiding herself for her lack of control. It's been far too long since she had to go that far, just a handful of men and women capable of withstanding her might to that degree.

She crouched down, the barrier deactivating as Kunou was immediately over the case, helping her Niichan to lie more comfortably. His eyes were closed as the girl brought his head on her lap, yet his charcoal-like eyes slowly opened and… narrowed at her.

"I'm sorry, Hoi-bou, I didn't mean to-"

"Are you really apologizing?" He interrupted with a deep frown. "It was a spar."

"But-"

"No butts!" He replied sleepily, causing Kunou to giggle a little. "It was a spar and… you are forgiven, Yasa-haha?"

Was she seriously having trouble talking to someone this much light-headed right now? It sure did feel like she was talking with a complicated and mysterious individual and… his bluntness was refreshing.

There was stll some restraining but… she still appreciated it. Her smile returned, a genuine undertone employed as she bowed her head slightly. "Thank you and… I'm still sorry."

…

"H-Hello 'Still Sorry'. I… I'm not dad. I'm Hoitsu~!" He giggled a little before resting a little more quietly.

The woman blinked, realizing that she might have put him in a bad state for him to resort to… dad joke all so suddenly. She sighed. "Ku-tan, could you please take your silly brother to his temporary room?" Her voice was tense for a moment, she surprised herself about it and… her daughter nodded with a small smile.

Moments passed, just enough to be left alone in that room so that she could-

_Yasaka snorted, stifling a chuckle by bringing a hand to close her lips. _

Turning to the side, her face twitched in minor mirthfulness at that sudden dad joke. It was just… the way he delivered it. He looked so sure and… very serious.

She snorted, a short-termed laugh beginning _before turning in a full-blown one._

It's been just… so much since she had this much fun while at home and the blonde was glad to have taken two free days from her usual work. Gintoki had been kind enough to take on the duty for the time being, just for the sake of reducing his close-to-infinite amount of favors he still owed to her.

Truly an interesting individual that Gin-san.

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Thank the Gods, my room has a bed!

I let out a suppressed groan as I basked in the pleasant coziness of the mattress and pillows keeping me in a heavenly cage of pure bliss.

_**You sure are enjoying some sleep.**_

_Shut up- my head hurts…_

_**Who would have thought that Yasaka knows about the Seven-Page beating.**_

_Uhhhh…._

_**I mean, to think that she knows how to perfectly strike in the right angles and-**_

_Noooooo~!_

_**And let us forget about the spanking we just avoided-**_

_Please-_

_**She had you turned around and ready to get properly punished-**_

_I don't need this!_

I hissed softly, trying to silence the terribly-chatty Shiranai. My brain was just that hurt, unable to properly understand what was going on around me and… I yawned.

The pillow was whispering sweet things to me in my delusional state, my mind just too much detached from reality right now to actually care if I was coherent or not with the law of physics.

Another yawn, I snuggled onto the pure-white pillow and tried to think deeply about life itself.

_**Oh no, please-**_

'**It's kind of hilarious-**'

_**Don't enable him! He is already.**_

What if the one behind the whole 'chicken and egg' dilemma… was also the only one to know the truth about it.

_**And here we go…**_

I mean, what if there was another bit of the context that had gone lost? Like, what if there was a human and… he just crossed the road- no wait, what was I talking about?

_**He is ascending to a more idiotic self. **_

I giggled. Yeah, I'm a little moron. A moron that likes to cuddle and snuggle and…

Mhm, this bed is just yummy. I was a little hungry, but then as I tried to take a bite out of my poor pillow. I swear it started to cry and yell 'murder' at my little stunt.

_I'm sorry, I didn't mean it~!_

_**A true descent in madness…**_

I tried to caress it fine, but the pillow cried even more.

Then I blinked and… giggled.

How silly of me, of course the pillow is inanimate but… I still hurt him. I hugged it close, whispering 'sorry' multiple time and… then I felt someone approaching from the dark corner of the room… just nearby the now open window.

Did Kunou open that up or… uh, I dunno.

Soon a figure loomed over me and I blinked, my eyes failing to give me a clear sight over them. I frowned, the figure tensed and… her upper ears twitched.

Oh?

Ohohohohohoh?

Without saying a word, I turned slowly to look at my _scared _pillow. I placed my head over it and whispered to it.

"_Pillow-san, I think there is a thief in my room_." I asserted the situation like a sneaky dude. "_Like really, I think there is someone trying to bring harm to you_."

…

"_I mean, they could try to hurt me but I'm kind of sturdy and… you are too soft._"

…

"_Oh, thank you and-_"

Before I could continue with my smart thinking, I found myself glomped up by someone and a brief struggle. So brief that the assailant didn't even bother to actually knock me out and merely went for Pillow-san.

_No, pillow-san!_

_**...Seriously, can you take it a little less childishly?**_

_S-Shush, I'm trying to protect Pillow-san._

My eyes squinted as the light finally revealed the attacker and… I stopped shaking in anger at… the adorable kitty sitting on my arm.

Golden eyes, pure-dark fur. What a familiar combination.

_She _started to pur and… I went for what was more than proper on those occasions by affectionately caress the feline._ Her_ eyes started to sport a pleased glint and I intensified my efforts, getting a strange noise out of her.

It wasn't purring, it was… deeper and not cat-like. It was… feminine, a groan?

I paused, my eyes blinking several times before I got another sight. Instead of the little kitty-cat, I was bestowed with quite the scene.

The girl did have cat-ears, now twitching excitedly at the previous ministrations. Her face was fully-red, eyes wide open as her breathing was slightly erratic and… endeared.

Her kimono was still holding and…

…

"Kuroka?"

She didn't reply, her trembling hands hinting at the familiar vial in her hold and… I slowly brought it to my face and sipped at it. Phoenix Tears.

I nodded, the fog over my aching brain starting to dissipate as clarity was granted to me once more. Only for my face to explode in red at what had just happened.

Quite embarrassing what I did to that pillow, quite unforgivable what I did to the Nekoshou.

"K-Kuroka- I didn't mean to-"

"Shh~." The girl pressed two fingers on my lips, shutting them up. "Not a single word and… you could have been more mindful of my ears."

...Wait, I didn't-

_**Nah, you just went for some aggressive head-patting. Seriously, is this like a power of yours?**_

_I mean, I'm good at it and- N-not the correct time for this!_

The girl's head slumped on my chest, her purring intensifying for a moment as she snuggled closer. "This is… the last time I will get you the Tears. Next time you-"

"-Will bring them myself, I know. Sorry that-"

"Not a word." She repeated tiredly, a small smile spreading on her face as she sighed, enjoying my warmth. "Chest-pillow is enough."

At the mention of 'pillow', I felt the need of flinching.

_Seriously, why did I thought it was a real being?_

_**I think you were recovering from several hits in your head. Yasaka truly know how to bash someone's head.**_

_Don't remind me…_

I blinked, eyes up at the dark ceiling. "So… were you doing anything important when-"

"Just taking a bath. Relaxing and… thinking about life." She replied curtly. "But… I think I have to ask you for a favor." Her tone felt odd so suddenly, making me frown in worry.

"S-Sure, do you need something-"

"Your wallet." She stated flatly. "And no, it's not the money I need."

…_Oh. Okay, what the heck?_

_**I dunno. We need to check this but… I've a bad feeling about this.**_

It was kind of difficult to bring my free arm to reach for my trousers' pocket but I was relieved when the task didn't leave me any sore stiffness on my limb.

Kuroka didn't say anything, browsing for just a moment over the content of my wallet before stopping to a specific section of it. Her fingers slipped the object out of the section and she brought it up to my attention, _making me pale in realization of what she was holding in her hand._

"Hoi-kun~." She smiled widely, her face burning red. "I think… I'm going for an early heat."

…Oh.

…

"W-Well, we could have Yasa-haha prepare something to destroy and- Mmph"

I couldn't finish my sentence as the young woman descended with incredible determination and might, her lips crashing onto mines as she directed one of her fingers to point at the door, a spell htting it and… closing it.

Her pleased look, coupled with her ensuing giggles, were enough to make it clear that a no was out of question…

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**Warning Lemon inbound!**

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Kuroka couldn't believe it!

Hoitsu melted in her hold, something that excited her to no end. Gone was the stern-looking young man that would deny her the chance of finalizing the deal, the opportunity to finally prove her progress to herself.

The kiss ended and her giggles were the only noises that nurtured the loving scene. The boy blinked, eyes wide open at the aggressive tone of her approach but… she lowered her head over his ear and decided to test if it was alright to proceed or not.

Mate or not, heat or not, _**horny as hell or not**_, Kuroka did have to keep up some honesty with her lover.

"_I can stop right now, if you wish_." She assured with a gentle tone, her kimono slightly unfolding and revealing most of her modesty to the wide-eyed, red-faced dummy. "_Just a 'no', just tell me 'no' and I will stop here and now._" Yet within herself she was begging for him to do otherwise.

To not ruin this moment, to not give up this precious event so effortlessly.

There was a brief silence… that stretched for a full minute.

He still looked surprised, terribly so. It was good that there was a 'no', that there wasn't a denial of his little wish of doing this, of ending the little chase and reach for the fruits of their hard-work.

Now that she thought about it introspectively, it was quite delightful to know that this… was incredibly meaningful. It wasn't a quick fuck-and-go as she had imagined her first time would have been, nor it felt too forced.

It felt _deliciously right and compelling!_

Her entire body was on fire and her panties were now damp and ready to be removed the quickest possible.

Hands reaching for the edge of his shirt, she slowly lifted up and stared at the mouth-watering chest. It was like a sculpture, chiseled from pure stone and… she went for a quick peck on those abs. Then another… and again.

Hoitsu twitched with every kiss, a moan almost there to leave his lips and… she felt daring.

Kuroka's tongue was carefully displayed as she took a brief lick. The twitching intensified and… he finally let out a pretty moan. Her mind melted even more in the passion- How juicy, how **endearing~!**

She was going crazy with the pacing but… but then she looked up with a bright smile at the nervous-looking human. "You know, it's kind of difficult for me to say this… while also focusing on your hot bod, but Hoi-kun, _my delicious Koi_, let me show you how much I love you~!

Her purring echoed in the bed as she finally took his shirt off, at this point there was only one thing to do before the real deal.

Differently from the previous piece of clothing, the Nekoshou grew anxious of the waiting, her pacing a little faster than before in removing belt, pants and underwear. All to the flight as she was presented with a full-fledged mast. Twitching, already hard and ready to be properly taken care off.

There was a break from her lust-driven crusade, a brief sniff from the new scent and… she moaned. Her eyes fully devoted to the shaft as her warm breath keep it intrigued at what was going to follow.

Her lips parted and her playful tongue went for a quick taste. Then a longer and more delicate one.

His moans, the scent of a needy member and the overall perverted state of things. Removing her kimono and panties, Kuroka nursed his cock with her mouth, licking its head as her hands wandered down to her sex.

Already wet and craving for some action, the first finger slipped easily, almost easier than usual, she noted. Then another followed while her thumb played with her clit, her button so tense and needing some attention too.

Her own moans were drowned the moment she went for the 'kill' and placed her lips on the stiff member's tip. Her lips parted again, but this time it was the mast that went in.

The scent was now overwhelming her, eyelids half-closed at the heavenly sensation of being satisfied while satisfying someone else. Hoitsu had long forsaken his initial hesitation, now staring at the scene with an awed look.

Gone was the nervousness, his moan now driving her mad with their frequency. Her cat-ears twitched at the joyful experience, her ministrations over the shaft and her little kitty increasing to a faster level.

She was so close now, three fingers driving her pussy insane and overloading her brain, Kuroka knew he was close too and went faster with her blowjob.

It happened almost at the same time, her lower lips finally culminating with a release of her sweet nectar. Hoitsu's cock stiffened suddenly as his _milk_ filled her mouth full.

While it was a completely new experience than what she had thought it to be, the girl managed to hold all of it inside, without letting any spill out of her cheeks. She gulped little bits and slowly, slightly surprised at the strange flavor but still going as far to drink it up.

A twitchy smile was present in her face, her sight finally turning at the young man's face and… she blinked in surprise when he suddenly tackled her down, his hold over head carefully strong but mindful of her highly-sensitive self.

"O-Oh? I-Is someone happy of-"

"Kuroka-chan." He interrupted with a serious look, his eyes fixed on her face as he lowered his head down_ between her legs._ "I love you too."

The declaration was intense, so clear and blunt. So unexpected and yet eagerly welcomed by the young woman-

_But her attention was taken away as she felt his tongue on her kitty._

Golden eyes going wide, her smile widened a lot more. His mouth delighted her with a proper cunnilingus, her still itching lips getting rewarded with kisses from her lover. A loud moan, one of her hands went to her mouth while the other patted Hoitsu's head.

It was just…_ so good~!_

He wasn't hinting to slow down, rather deciding to play around her needy clit with his tongue. Another loud moan, her mind losing any perception of reality except three things.

Hoitsu, herself and the bed they were on.

"D-Don't stop!" She could feelit approaching once more, the climax being quicker to reach after the first time and… she bit down a loud yelp as she let out her greatest 'cuming' ever.

Her nectar literally squirted out of her overly-active pussy, spraying the boy's face in her delicious liquid.

There was a brief pause, a minor reverie for both as the girl recovered from coming two times in a row so quickly. Her breath labored but not pained as she slowly realized that the main dish was going to be delivered soon.

In the young man's hands was one of the condoms he had hidden in his wallet, something that she had noticed while poking around his room a few weeks ago. At first the info felt unnecessary but… now it held a **good reason.**

With the condom put on his once again hardened cock, Hoitsu positioned the tip on her entrance, her whole self bracing as she was going to lose her V-card in that exact moment-

_...What? Did you seriously think that I would give it away so easily? I need to give a Papa to my kittens, not a no-face, no-name stud! _

The tip tapped at her door, knocking and _asking to be welcomed in._

He pressed forward and-

"Uh!" Her arms shot around his back and she scratched him a little. She noticed the pained look on his face and flinched. "S-Sorry, it's just that..."

She didn't need to finish that, blood from her broken hymen already showing up at the _doorstep_, making the boy blink in shock at the sight. Part of her got a little afraid that… it wasn't going to go ahead but then- _he gently started to thrust._

Kuroka was happy. A little hurting on the situation but… she appreciated the careful action being conducted. The pain was momentary, her enchanted body quickly making sure that the pain was subsided and… she moaned.

With the suffering gone, only pleasure persisted and… _**it was so much better than she had thought it to be!**_

Her hips started to move together with his, a new need enveloping her whole soul in that sea of warmth. She wanted him to go faster, and he would comply. Then they started to clash one against the other, their timing missing here and there but soon _**true heaven opened to her.**_

His head lowered, the pacing requiring that he assumed that position and, without hesitation, she latched onto him.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pushed her tongue onto his own, finding no resistance to the bold move. Her legs went around his back, toes twirling in ecstasy as she was drown by the collective pleasure from the various actions happening.

It was a complete mind-fuck!

It was a crescendo, a symphony that was slowly reaching its best ending. A climax worth of all the waiting, all the caring and everything.

Her love, it was her love that vibrated and echoed with his and-

Her eyes went wide, she could feel him come but his milk was captured by the condom, her pussy exploding in her juice in response. The powerful coming was enough to put her on a tired mood.

She slumped, her body lacking any of the energy it had moments ago and… he looked the same.

He was tired, incredibly so, but he looked happy and completed, a feeling the Nekoshou shared wholeheartedly. He reached for some covers and pulled them over the two of them.

The gesture was met with a quick peck on his lips before Kuroka fell in a little slumber, that glowing smile surely going to last for more than just a day.

The dreams that ensued were hardly perverted or anything like that, but rather a little 'vision' of a little family, with two adorable cat-eared twins with dark-hairs and brown eyes.

Yep, life was good for Kuroka Toujou.

* * *

**AN**

**Pillow talk before… sleep?**

**(**_**I'm tired, don't bother me- Rawr!**_**)**

_**Future milestone 1: 950 Followers and Favorites.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	71. Cut thy Strings, Godless Death

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 70: Cut thy Strings, Godless Death**

* * *

_**Eons ago, Terra…**_

At first there was a lack of… everything.

Azrael's purpose in life, the one God gave to him, was simple, yet very complicated for his primitive mind. It was incredibly confusing, yet clear, so odd, but also very easy to understand.

Kill and escort away from the mortal plane of existence those that were ready to go to the afterlife.

Logically, that was a straining mission to have for eternity but Azrael knew better than contest the wisdom of his creator and thus he went through with his important task without protesting, without sporting any of the silly emotions that had been there since its creation but had gone silent when he took the first life.

He could still remember the pain, it had been at first quite unbearable. So much that he had to grit his teeth to not let out an unplanned shriek of sorrow.

Tears had swelled, but he hadn't cry. He couldn't afford to show mercy upon his responsibilities as the souls had to interact only the least with their guide, something that God had been keen to drill within his childish brain.

The job was troublesome at first, the pain being rather difficult to get a grip of, but soon things started to swing to a somewhat mild platform. His whole being started to slowly grow capable of suppressing the sharp and searing emotion by merely locking up those within his first soul.

A burden that was doubled, a sacrifice that nobody would have known about and for that the Angel was glad of. Nobody was ready to face him, a creature born for the sake of guaranteeing a safe passage to the afterlife for those that died. The Angel of Death.

Azrael had been certain that this would have been his fate for the rest of its existence, until life persisted in this dimension. Kill, escort, and redo.

A process that turned an incredibly easy work, something that somehow eased the stress growing within Azrael, but also deprived him of the chance of… _feeling_.

Time passed, uncertainty stirred and _he found him._

Heliel wasn't a normal Angel, not someone born out from God's unique energy. Heliel was a superior being, with an array of emotions that went long and beyond the mere fatherly touches that the ruler of Heaven was keen to show around his children.

The silver-haired angel was… a mystery. Not even his clairvoyance failed to grasp the full extent of the powerful being's limits, nor it could truly get a reading over his mind and thoughts.

A pretty light that floated in the clouds, bringing novelty to the world within his mere presence. A precious light that brought intrigue and happiness to those that sought him.

A majestic spectacle that ended up finding him. Azrael had been surprise, the proper term being… 'shocked?', when Heliel arrived to his 'home'. The prison was meant to keep him from lashing out at the struggle within, the anguish of the souls cracking within his inner being, a place to protect the others from his own burden.

Yet the unknown being reached for him willingly and… he could still remember his expression.

There was kindness, there was curiosity and… there was sadness. About finding him? About knowing of his despicable task?

No. Azrael's eyes went wide the moment the angel rushed at him, no ill intents present in his body's language and… he blinked as he was pulled in a loving embrace. There was tension enveloping his humane shell, the suddenness of the action more than enough to get him… trembling at the wave of pleasant warmth reaching from the fellow Angel's core.

"Hello, my sad brother." His ears caught the words, yet his mind failed to understand what was going on.

It was so unexpected and yet… so welcomed! His arms trembled, lifting off from the previous position as they returned the hug by wrapping slowly around his **brother**'s torso. He blinked again, he felt his eyes growing wet as red slowly trailed off his cheeks.

"B-Brother?" He repeated unsure, the embrace lessening just a little as his unsure eyes found Heliel's red orbs.

"Yes. Brother." The determined tone cemented their connection, formally declaring a bond between the two. It was a frail one at first, one born from need and desire of company while escaping the loneliness of his prison.

Azrael enjoyed what happened in the following years, the events that would fully blossom his genuine interest in Heliel as a good sibling. Family, someone that truly wanted to be close to him even though it was known that he wasn't **trustworthy**.

Someone that lived by death itself wasn't someone to be near to… and yet Heliel still sought him. Always bringing news, always bringing him gifts that the lonely Angel would hide in his special corner, a spot away from his minders' sight.

Toys, pictures and… that pretty flower crown.

Heaven's flowers were prettier than Earth's, but the way the frail crown had been offered, the love and the appreciation represented in such a gift… Azrael blinked in brief sadness.

He could remember when Heliel brought Lilith for the first time. The red-haired lady had been scared, his mere presence being more than enough to cause disgust on those that were in his proximity.

Yet it was Heliel himself that gave her the strength to truly greet him. The young woman was peculiar with the bravery she ended up developing from that first encounter. A curious soul, one that he knew about from the copy within his body… but also not.

Something was different, in a positive way. It was intriguing, maybe a little less than with his brother's, but **his sister **was still endearing to have around.

Their friendship, that was how the silver-haired angel had called it, grew quickly and to a delightful degree. Bantering about random topics, even exchanging simple questions and answers with them brought to him a sense of being part of something meaningful.

His job continued as usual, yet something had changed. His purpose was finally explained to him by Heliel during one of those times spent together. Lilith had been there too, but she didn't join in that discussion, deciding to merely listen to it than ruining his moment of learning.

"Why do people hate me, but God is loved?" Azrael had asked quietly, the relaxed presence suddenly tensing up at this heavy query delivered in such a soft tone.

The redhead's eyes had gone wide open at it, her sight darting from Heliel to the other Angel.

But his brother… merely smiled. His smile lacked any happiness and contained only pity directed at him.

"Because God is a pretty lie, one of eternal love and understanding. You, my dear sibling, are the harsh but just truth for everyone. You are the true end of what is good… but also of what is bad."

So simple, yet so complicated.

But Azrael understood it all as… he would find it easier to go through his task without the pangs of pain reaching out from his chest. He wasn't responsible for something terrible, nor he was bringing joy to the world.

He was a neutral change, a change that was a must for everyone that was mortal. A limit to those that lived a normal life.

But in that logical understanding, something more was born. Something that was fueled by love and affection for his good brother.

Heliel was eternal. He was beyond Lilith, beyond God and… beyond Azrael.

A deity beyond deities. He could still remember confirming this idea by his mind and heart, a powerful mantra that lasted for eons.

_**Then God kicked Heliel and Lilith from Heaven**_.

No explanation was given, only that they had 'sinned beyond reparation', something the creator had said for the humans too. There was no chance of return for the two beloved beings, something that had saddened him to a moment of depression.

A _**moment**_ that spanned until the beginning of the Great War.

It was a sign, he reckoned back then, that his brother was still alive and… considered God's actions quite unfair, just like Azrael had. He had smiled, giddily ready to see his brother return but… things became complicated once more.

When the King of Heaven had called upon his Angels, he had refused for the sake of neutrality.

Death was beyond petty conflicts, no matter how his _father_ had been demanding of his very presence in the battlefield. Ridiculous and unquestionable, he was neutrality itself and he wouldn't accept neither of the sides.

His heart had ached at the idea he couldn't be with his siblings but… he had a duty to keep up to.

His job increased, grew harder and harder the more the war escalated and… centuries passed.

A slaughter far worse than anything Azrael had ever seen and… it did hurt when he learned of his expanding family.

Children, he knew of the spawns of _**Lucifer **_and Lilith, but he also couldn't truly understand some of them.

So difficult and yet… so intriguing. He had prayed for a quick peace between factions, something brokered for the sake of not having the world destroyed and…

**Then it happened.**

He had felt something wrong, something foul being forced out to the world before being sealed away. He could recognize God's signature energy and… then Heliel's light started to slowly turning weaker and weaker.

Panic had surged and he stopped mid-work to rush to the site of the battle. The land had been ravaged, lava bathing the nearby areas as volcanoes born from the shortly-ended fight shattered the planet's **skin**.

God was there, his energy very dim and close to fail, but not ready to pass on just yet.

But it wasn't his creator's state that worried Azrael and… he found him.

Lucifer's eyes were open, staring at the dark-clouded sky as he lied motionless on the darkened ground. He was bloodied, his body broken and sporting cracks all over his exposed skin. He was smiling… but that smiling was dead.

He knew it.** He knew it.**

_**HE KNEW IT!**_

Something snapped within Azrael, something far worse than his first time taking a life. This time, the life being taken wasn't from him, but from God himself.

The smiling husk was once his brother,** his sunshine.**

**And**_** father**_** decided to take it away from him!**

The Angel of Death had been cheated, betrayed by his Maker and- He snarled as he roared in pain.

God tensed up quickly, shocked by the outburst but unwilling to truly react to it as the crying angel fell on his knees and drove his head on the Lucifer's still chest. There was sobbing, his tears staining of blood the corpse even more before a sickening realization struck the angel.

It was God himself that spoke. "H-He is dead." He tried to keep calm, but after the beating he had received, the deity could hardly think straight. "H-He will hurt us no more-"

Azrael's mind was too fragmented, too lost in his agony, to properly react. Anger took over, his fury driving his hands to lift the blissfully ignorant creator off the ground in a choke-hold.

"G-Gah- W-Wha-" The hold tightened, his hands pressing strongly as these compressed his throat.

He gawked, eyes going wide open as air was painfully denied to his lungs, his body growing even weaker. The deity closed his palm and tried to attack his traitorous 'child' but…

**CRACK**

It was too late. Too late for hatred, too late for love, too late for… dreams.

God was dead… and Azrael felt his entire being cracking even more. His mind splintered painfully, his consciousness divided between emotions and logic, between hopes and truths.

He gawked and… fell into oblivion as he returned to his jail. Distraught, aimless and… horrified by a single realization.

Heliel's prophecy. He had almost forgot about it.

A plan, something about his unique ability and… Azrael gasped, feeling his lucidity slipping away. He had to remember, **he couldn't never forget!**

And as he spiraled down in insanity, his balance forcibly stolen and his hopes tainted, the shadow of Azrael survived the agony-filled 'transformation', a new mantra fiercely instilled within his core.

A plan proposed by his sibling, a plan that would save them all.

Because **Azrael's God **had gone just for some time and… he will make sure that he would return back to him.

**Like he had promised him!**

* * *

Leaving Heaven was… not something that Raphaeline had expected to experience after centuries of inactivity.

It had all happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly but… not so unpleasantly.

She woke up in the darkness of the containment room where only a handful of her 'sisters' had been 'deactivated' as per Michael's order. Her eyes flickering as these tried to adapt to the lack of lights and… soon she found the reason of her unplanned awakening.

The Proto-Angel tensed a little at the sight of the still face that was Azrael's. The Angel of Death tilted its head and… smiled widely.

"_Good morning~._" His cheerful whisper was quick to send some chills down her spine, her confusion growing as her cheeks were cupped by his cold hands. "I need your help, Raphie."

She blinked at the nickname, but before the young woman could have asked what was going on, a sharp pain entered her brain. Her entire body went still, eyes going wide in agony as something… changed.

The process was brief, but it did feel eternal to her soul from the outstanding pain she had to endure. From the sharp burn to… pleasant silence, Raphaeline knew that something had incredibly changed because of that sudden interference.

Her green orbs losing part of their divinity and… acquiring more life. Freedom, she almost breathed loudly, she was… free?

She blinked as her mind felt less endeared by her Heavenly duties and more… centered. Another blink, she stared up at Azrael and frowned. "W-What?"

"I need you, Raphie. It's about Heliel's dream." He mused quickly. "It's about peace, it's about **true peace**!" He pressed on, his voice turning quite… forceful.

"I-I don't-"

"Sapphire's father!" The Angel interrupted tiredly. "Her dad, do you wish to help your lover's father?"

...Sapphire?

Memories shifted quickly within her soul, a brave red-haired woman, someone that had connected to with back in that seemingly endless War between Heaven, Hell and Grigori.

_**Her smile.**_

The freed woman felt her lips twitch in a happy curve as Azrael nodded. "That's right, do you want to help her and her father?" He continued with the same tone. "We don't have much time, choose!"

S-So much pressure, her mind contemplated quickly about the sudden request- no, _demand_ from the least-known inhabitant of Heaven… and yet she had to do it. It was for her.

The Proto-Angel nodded and before she could say anything else to confirm her decision, Azrael's hand grasped at her shoulder and… they teleported away from the dark room.

Raphaeline's eyes squinted at the sudden light brightly encompassing them and… then she realized that they were falling. A gasp drowned by her collected mind at the unexpected warp, her attention shifting at the ground swiftly approaching.

This place… it wasn't Europe. The 'Prime' Continent could be seen from that height, but it was far from where they were supposedly going to land. Instead the area was… far on the right.

It was Asia, her knowledge finally resurfacing as she still was recovering from the tiring effect of her slumber. Azrael cackled as his wings started to flap madly, his hand still holding strongly at her shoulder.

The young woman yelped as she was yanked by the sudden pull, her eyes widening once more as she saw the speed of the fall had doubled- no, _tripled _with a mere action of his wings.

The Angel's crazed laughter endured through the entire flight, her lips trembling as she was having trouble herself to keep from screaming at the terrifying situation and… then they stopped.

His bare feet touched the ground, breaking without any damage the speed and… leaving both to walk towards the large assemble of people forming right in front of them.

Young men and women talking to each other, some deities from other Pantheons walking nearby but just a few actually daring to mingle with the mortals waiting in that large patch of green land.

They were now staring at them, having seen their arrival moments before they touched the ground. Eyes wide open, surprise, shock and… intrigue playing in their features as they approached.

She blinked as they finally reached up to them and… she could understand that those weren't mere humans. Sacred Gears, numerous of those within the grand number of people making this huge crowd and… then one of the Gods walked up to them.

Indra, she remembered quickly, frowned in annoyance at Azrael. "I thought I told you to not do anything this outlandish to reach this meeting of ours." He chided the Angel, the being merely smiling sheepishly.

"My bad~!"

The Indian Deity scowled but nodded. "At least you are both here in time..." He muttered under his breath.

Time passed and nobody daring to approach their little group, afraid of the deadly energy exuding from the Angel.

Finally, one of the youths decided to spoke and… her eyes shifted at the weapon in his hands.

The True Longinus?!

The lance was 'comfortable' with its current user but… to think that someone could have grouped up so many Sacred Gears users_ and_ the holder of the strongest one.

It was absurd but… maybe this was truly a crusade for a good cause.

"Fellow heroes of modern time!" He called upon the other humans, their focus suddenly on him. Raphaeline stared in awe at the fact those were indeed 'heroes', so this has to be a good thing.

"Today we are here united to face the greatest threat turned against mankind and against all Pantheons." He bellowed strongly, his voice attracting everyone to this charismatic man. "A threat formed by those that seek to impose their decadent rule upon us! People that wish to enslave the free folks and turn them in their servants."

The crowd started to chatter with one another, not loud enough to stop the lancer from continuing.

"A threat caused by what was once part of the group we were part of, a traitor that managed to trick the leaders of the Christian factions and more powerful individuals to band up and go with his twisted and sickening plan of domination!" The chattering increased and a small smile appeared on the youth's face. "Rizevim Lucifer, the chief in command for the former Qlippoth faction, has hypnotized Michael, the Four Satans, Azazel and… our long-beloved heroic brother, Hoitsu Sakakibara!"

An uproar exploded at the mentioning of the last name, her mind failing to grasp anyone she knew by the two words. Why would someone relatively new be able to have a better following in the group rather than the more familiar beings and-

Hypnotized? She could see Rizevim, the deviated son of whom was once known as Heliel, trying to accomplish something this massive but… it sounded just too far-fetched to believe it. That large-scaled hypnosis, coupled with the fact the individuals listed were incredibly powerful- some even more than Rizevim himself – it was clear that something was… off.

But maybe it was just her, the Proto-Angel mused quietly. Maybe Rizevim did manage to attain something that could get him to truly control the major leaders of the Christian Pantheon.

"Indeed! Hoitsu Sakakibara, the Hero without Sacred Gears, the defender of Tokyo and the Protector of Innocents, has succumbed to the tricks of the dangerous fiend, further increasing the power of Evil and bringing a noticeable danger to the world as a whole!" The uproar intensified, many screaming angrily at the outrageous news.

"But there is hope!" The Longinus-wielder stated determinedly. "For I, Cao Cao, will never allow the freedom of the world to be consumed by the ambitions of a terrible tyrant. I will never allow your hopes and dreams to be shattered by the rampaging greed and ambitions of the spawn of Lucifer." He lifted his hands up. "But I request your help for this long journey. A journey for justice, for truth and for equality!" He yelled powerfully, the collective roar that ensued agreeing to this emotion.

"Then please, unite and fight with us. Join this United Front to crush the threat growing worryingly in Japan!"

Another roar, this time Cao Cao didn't continue to exalt the crowd, but rather decided that it was 'mature' enough to continue his speech on his own. A tactic used by major leaders when the people listening were enough convinced of the task proposed, of the idea passed upon their soul.

A fire that was growing in an inferno, a splash becoming an earth-cracking wave.

Raphaeline blinked at the growing animosity, uncertain about the emotions sparking from the speech as she could hardly keep up with what was going on. An attempt to subjugate humanity as a whole? To what end?

Sapphire. She could remember the red-haired woman saying that her brother wasn't… that much devious.

Evil, that was a strong point of his.

But plotting of taking over mankind? That was… kind of sketchy.

Plus there was something about this Hoitsu Sakakibara, the name unfamiliar… but also not. It was kind of annoying, her mind failing to truly grasp the full identity of this individual.

A hero? That was what she learned from the speech. But what else she knew about him? Nothing.

Still, he was important and… now one of the enemies she would have to face in a less-than-friendly way, it seemed.

Her mind slowly returned to Sapphire and… to the fact that her lover could have been enslaved too. Her eyes hardened at the thought, such an unacceptable situation that she will gladly make sure to deal with.

**For their love's sake!**

Just as the crowd and the Proto-Angel thought about the situation, Azrael's smile widened at the good sound of the trumpets.

War was going to return in what he could call… romantic. A war killed God and… he would be brought back thanks to another conflict.

How symbolic, what a symposium of death and murder close to happen for the sake of the truest deity, the truest justice to be restored!

He will be resurrected, his face, his voice, _his smile_ and his passionate desire of bringing an end to the injustice that had ruined the world as a whole!

Yes! He cackled. His dream will be restored and brought forth to completion!

_**And then true heavens shall descend upon the poor, unknowing sinners, as the new era will be glorious and divine! For Heliel!**_

* * *

**AN**

**I frigging hate having to go and get my annual shot. It's something that leaves me incredibly frail, with my mind close to a zombie's (minus the brain's need issue) and with a strong writer's block.**

**I'm back from the super-ded and I bring you news!**

**The first chapter of Amnesiac Danger DXD is already out! Check out the DxD/Tokyo Ghoul xover as… the world isn't prepared for what is going to happen in that story. Protagonists? Junichi, Raynare and… someone else that we saw in this story too. Antagonists? Aogiri Tree's former leader and… someone that has been seen here too… just not in Tokyo.**

**Lastly, this is the official 70th chapter of Magical Trickster DXD! If things proceeds as smoothly as they are, then I think we will breach my current record of 84 chapters made in FPO's original draft. And we also reached 950 Followers! (OMG! This is EPIC!)**

**Can we reach-**

_**Future milestone 1: 1000 Followers and Favorite?!**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**King0fP0wers: I would ask you to look at the schedule in the profile. Right now I've cut off/put on Hiatus some of the stories so I can free up more space and… not get buried by everything.**

**Victorsan12345: It started slow, they both were picking up the pace and, mid-distraction, Yasaka went full-power on Hoitsu. It wasn't an equalized fight as** **Hoitsu was overwhelmed. It's like Base-form Goku going against LSSJ Broly without being able to transform.**


	72. AN: Big Announcement (Positive AN)

**Author Note:**** Big Announcement (All positive things!… I think.)**

* * *

Hello folks! And no, this ain't a joke AN, but more of a good AN. A positive one, even.

After a full month of pondering and studying the case presented by some concerned readers, I decided to compile my next plans for **Magical Trickster DXD** after the first story of a **Trilogy** (Yep, we going for two sequels now) in a little space… without bloating the next chapter's AN.

Since we are nearing to the last twenty or so chapters for this story, **I've decided to give it a little rework once I've completed this fanfic.**

Not a massive overhaul as presented in the case of **Fate Player Online Redux** (which was possible after a full year of thinking of changes and modifying some of the original draft), but rather a 'polishing' affair to get some of the grammar errors, the plot issues and some messes I've embarrassingly left along the way.

**I understand that this massive news is worrying on itself, but I'm listening to those that actually care to the story.** I know many readers are disgruntled on the fact I derailed a little on some of the chapters, that maybe I pressed too much on some meek scenes, but I will (hopefully) make amend with what I've planned to do for the rewrite.

**The changes on the plot itself are minimal**, the rewrite will add more chapters on some of the arcs, expand upon some details that have been left untouched for long and possibly give a lesser headache regarding the X-Overs.

**Yep, I plan to remove those X-overs that actually don't create a huge impact in the story** and actually alienate the readers rather than compel them to the very end of the story I'm narrating.

The decision isn't out of nowhere, nor I've been pressed on to do this. What pushed me to do this is more of guilt regarding the readers as I think I've gone a little too harshly over some of the mistakes I made.

I wish to apologize, to say that I'm genuinely sorry where the cases have me wrong, but I think actions speak louder than words and thus I will have what follows **MT DXD** be my apology.

This story, of course, is going to proceed to the very end and I hope that I will find redemption and forgiveness in those that have doubts in going along with what I'm writing.

I tend to get influenced by external factors while writing and sometime I mess up big time.

**Once more, I'm sorry for having made the reading aspect annoying to a certain degree.**


	73. Worthy Reason

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 71: Worthy Reason**

* * *

Things were going rather well in Kuoh Town.

It's been but just a day since Hoitsu had gone with Kunou to Kyoto and life was going easy and calm as usual.

...Or at least as much as Xenovia could bear with it.

Training was still a part of her life, her control over Durandal getting better and better as she had finally found some means to release the stress accumulated by her previous lack of progress. With Gasper being her first and best friend, and with some others joining the count, the girl was feeling quite happy with the life she had made in just the little time she had been in Japan.

Trustworthy people that brought out some interesting contexts to subjects she had long thought of having mastered, a genuine feminine touch given by her two new friends from the Kendo Club, Murayama and Katase.

They would spend some time together during the breaks when the kind Mayumi-sensei would give her a pause from assisting her. It was surprising to know that the woman that Irina had attacked was actually a sweet old lady.

Shocking but also confusing, something that her former partner would deflect with other topics much to her chagrin, but still she decided to ignore what had happened back then and focus on helping the lovely woman around when she required support.

The teacher was quite careful to not over-burden her, even though Xenovia was capable of taking multiple responsibilities at once, while also giving her some little homework despite the fact the blue-haired human wasn't a student at the Academy.

Nothing too difficult, but enough to leave her busy for some time in the afternoon before going for some sword-related training.

Her routine was definitively better than the one back in Italy, where missions would be a constant element to be aware of, especially as those weren't easy most of the time.

Mere months ago, Xenovia would have gone for all the requests, went to the place indicated by the Church's orders and accomplish the demands without hesitation.

But now that she was living the life of a 'normal girl', the blue-haired girl had found a new balance of things.

Something nice, something that kept her afloat after a moment in her life where doubt besieged her over her capacity to protect, exterminate and do her duty as a proper member of the Holy See.

It was a simple Sunday morning, one that Xenovia had wished to spend in a session of prayers to the newly-rebuild Church in the city, a humble habit the girl had picked after a few days spent praying at her 'mentor's house. She ended up noticing the distress she was causing to the Devils lingering around and thus settled with the decision of going to a proper place of prayers.

The girl was wearing a half-sleeved light-blue shirt, a pair of knee-long shorts and some sport shoes as she had planned to go for a some jogging after the praying session, maybe a little longer than usual to prepare for an even longer session of training.

She was half-way to reach the church when she found herself stopped by a living obstacle.

Yuuto Kiba, former Knight of the Gremory Peerage, was standing in her way, a blank expression that left no hints about his unexpected presence here, nor any emotions that could have granted her the chance of seeing if he was meaning well… or not.

"Xenovia Quarta." The blond stated with an empty tone, his blue eyes coldly fixed at her face. "You are the wielder of Durandal and member of the Church." He pointed out, a long sigh leaving his lips at the end of his strange words.

…

"Yes?" She replied with an uneasy but calm tone, still unsure about what was this supposed to mean. The boy blinked, confusion flashing just a moment before two wooden shinai appeared in his hold and… he threw one at her.

The girl caught it effortlessly with her right hand and glanced at it with curiosity. "So… you wish to fight or are you showing me you are good at making swo-!"

She lifted up the 'blade' just in time to clash with Kiba's, the young man having zeroed their distance in silent rage and the impact was enough to generate pressure everywhere.

The road was unoccupied, mostly because it was far too early and a very quiet day of the weak to truly see someone wandering around. Brown eyes narrowed in annoyance as the blue-haired woman felt irked by the brash attitude of the fellow sword-wielder.

"I didn't accept your challenge, Yuuto." Her tone was steely, her heart was even harsher as her pulse prepared for a quick-paced battle, one that she would have preferred to avoid that morning.

But the Knight didn't seem to care from the snarl now present where once his 'pretty' looks were.

Xenovia's knowledge of Knight-types was limited to her Mother's teachings and Hoitsu's own snippets about the Rating Games. One thing jumping several times in the explanations, the fact being… the pure speed those had.

She barely blinked as she saw the boy turn in a blur, the practice sword preparing to hit her on the side and missing only because the girl managed to spin quickly enough to avoid it. The human was terribly disadvantaged, her strength being… strength and her weakness being the lack of proper mobility with her power.

Their blades collided once more, the blue-haired Exorcist going for a 'jab' by his left armpit. Disabling him, even bringing his speed just a minuscule step down was her priority at the moment and… she failed.

A yelp was drowned quickly as pain flared from her leg. Her knee tanked the counter well enough, yet the stinging sensation was enough to bring up once more the terrible issue she was having in fending off the silent attacker.

Yuuto seemed distracted, but also focused on her as his hits were precise but gaining damage from the speed behind the swings' pace.

She jumped away, trying to dismiss the Knight's pattern and… Xenovia's eyes widened as he gave chase swiftly. She barely ducked away, missing an attack directed at her neck.

Finally her Shinai, her hand gripping tightly at its hilt, slammed with vigor on the boy's exposed chest. His eyes went momentarily wide in pain, before narrowing once more at her, the fury behind his strikes increasing even more.

A groan left her lips as they clashed once more as their feet touched ground again, the pressure starting to get quite troublesome to face this frequently. Her body was limited, _humanly so_, while Kiba's enchanted abilities were giving him the edge in that 'spar'…

_That __**was**__ a spar, right?_

She would have asked, but her attention was completely taken by the swings coming for the openings now present in her stance. She was losing her footing and Xenovia was quite certain that another hit was going to dignify a painful defeat for her.

Unacceptable, her prideful self called out in anger, she was a proud warrior of the Church.

Her resolve returned compact once again and her eyes sparkled in determination as her pace increased with the blond's. The boy's eyes widened just a fraction at the sudden improvement from his opponent and… he saw something familiar in her.

That posture, that strength and… that face.

It's been a while now that her appearance had started to leave him with troubled thoughts. Nothing that attracted him to her, but there was something oddly nostalgic in her face, in her mannerism and… her bravery.

He blocked another attack, she was roaring in anger as her emotion _**dripped **_from the edges of her Shinai. The Practice Swords had been reinforced with magic, making them capable of sustaining the duress they were both putting them against.

Bash, roll, strike and retreat. Xenovia was in clear disadvantage against his swift stance and yet she wasn't budging an inch from her strong resistance, the blue-haired human actually giving me some reason to truly focus on the battle rather than 'ridicule her'.

There was nothing humiliating as her form was flawless and her balance was as graceful one could ever hope to get. She was strong, but still a human being and thus easy to overpower with accurate attacks.

Her breathing was starting to show the signs of fatigue, her swings losing momentum and almost giving him an easy victory. He paused, trying to understand if he should concede to the fact he couldn't exactly get any 'revenge' from someone this virtuous or not.

Yuuto had thought that this woman was a zealot of the Church's ways, a fervent believer of the horrible means to reach the divine and… she was actually sporting a genuine and somewhat _fun _demeanor in the fight.

**Crack**

That pause costed him a little more than a mere weakening hit, Xenovia roaring again in renewed vigor as her practice sword crashed with utter might onto the side of his head. His eyes went wide and…

_**He blinked in pain, his feet getting him away from the mad swinging that the little girl was throwing at him.**_

"_**Don't stop, Isaiah!" Her face was hidden by shadows, his mind failing to grasp her identity. He ducked away from another attack, rolling away as he felt tears starting to swell.**_

_**They were in a small room, two doors at the two extreme sides and several small beds all around.**_

"_**N-No, stop please!" He tried to calm the aggressive child down. He was small too, tinier even, but the girl barely seemed to care about it.**_

"_**I'm know it hurts, Isaiah," She mentioned strongly. "But you need this to defend yourself by the bullies."**_

_**But what if he didn't want to fight the bullies? What if he wanted to go and draw butterflies? What if he wanted to look at flowers- His little faux sword was pushed back on his trembling chest as the girl claimed victory by rushing against him.**_

_**He yelped in fear as he fell backward… only to be caught by his opponent's hands, pulling him in a sudden embrace. His eyes widened and he felt immersed in a somewhat familiar and 'trustworthy' wave of warmth melted him away from his worry.**_

_**His eyelids slowly turned heavier and he abandoned himself at the softness of the hug.**_

"_**I'm sorry." The girl's voice had turned cautious, quite apologetic. "I-I know it hurts but… but they will never stop if you don't start defending yourself, Isaiah."**_

He blinked back to reality, only to duck at a furious attack following the one that had put him in that… little flashback. Yuuto blinked in confusion, _What did just happen?!_

His earliest memory was part of the painful set related to the Holy Sword Project. He had partly thought about finding out about _before _that particular part of his childhood, but his mind had always been fixed over his present.

And now that he was recovering this much from… a completely unrelated fight!

He felt anger rising once more, this time his thoughts scrambling because of the concussion he just received keeping him from properly thinking about everything that was happening around him.

The odds were now even, he realized with minor surprise as his reaction-time had been messed up by that freebie he allowed to pass. A scowl and chiding himself wouldn't be enough to keep up with the mad assault of the young woman.

It was so odd _**how she could easily fight with a sword**_.

He blinked, _W-What?_

That moment of distraction once more provided the girl a golden opportunity. His shinai flew out of his hold at the umpteenth clash, this one his hands giving too little strength in keeping the practice sword still and Xenovia capitalized on it.

With a last yell, the girl pressed a kick on his stomach, spit and some blood thrown out of his lips as he fell on the ground.

She held the edge of her shinai near his throat, pressing menacingly to his frail state. "It's over, Yuuto. No more games." Her voice was terribly serious and leaving no space for interjections.

He gulped nervously, having underestimated the proficient sword-wielder way too much than planned. He sighed as the girl threw the sword away and started to walk away in the direction she had tried to go through, the church being her objective.

She was going away, completely unaware of the silent plight surging within the young man's chest. He felt a strange pain, a specific question rising as…

…

_Mayumi-sensei said that she was an orphan too._

...

"W-Wait!" He groaned in pain, turning to stare at her and… the blue-haired human actually stopped.

"What do you want, _Yuuto_?" He flinched at the annoyed tone but still… he had to know.

"Y-You are an orphan." He blurted without thinking, panic rising at the insinuations he just caused as the girl fully turned around and looked incredibly enraged by that. "A-And you-"

"I will not play these games, Yuuto." She interrupted coldly. "First you attack me, then you try to talk about my past. End this at once, I don't have time for this stupid trick-"

"Isaiah."

Cold entered his veins as her eyes widened in shock and… realization.

"My name is-"

"Isaiah?" She interjected, taking a step towards him. She blinked. "Y-You- You look like- No, he died and- but-"

Another step.

"Y-You- how do I know that- that you are him!" Xenovia suddenly lashed out. "I-I know that he was killed by some bad organization-"

"There was a time when you… you used to tell me tales before going to sleep." He said with some embarrassment. That was certainly not a good way to prove things but… yes, he could remember those moments now.

Always the same story actually, he would ask only one from his big sister.

"Pinocchio." He concluded with a sigh. "I would always ask for it-"

"Because you thought that the reason you weren't getting a family… was that they thought you were a pretty doll rather than a real boy." Her eyes lowered to the ground. "You… you were rather feminine back then… Isaiah."

He frowned. "I-I wasn't- Uh?!"

Yuuto didn't have the time to react as the tackle train struck true against him, making him fall on the floor once more. "X-Xenov-"

"You were always worried that people would pick on you." She whispered as she hugged him closer. "You were always asking to be taken around because you trusted only me." She added with a melancholic note.

There was silence… the good kind of silence. He blinked, he felt tired and… he sighed.

"So… you are a Devil?" She asked curiously. "Can you-"

"I will tell you, I promise and..." He smiled a little. "I think I took too much from your time for your early morning's praying-"

"Nonsense." The girl interrupted once again. "Why shouldn't I be… happy of having-" She stopped, her eyes dropping once more. "I should have tried to do something against them. They did seem odd back then, those that took you away-"

"You were a child." He pointed out. "**We **were children." He then reiterated. "And you should be going now. I think we need time to… think."

She nodded, helping him up standing. "I agree and..." Without hesitation, she slapped him on his face.

The blond's eyes went wide and… he frowned at the sudden attack, but the girl giggled and turned back on her steps. "That's for attacking me without reason, _piccolo Isaiah!_" Another giggle and… she ran away, leaving a confused and somewhat annoyed Knight alone in that desolate street.

He sighed. He did get something out from that 'spar' but now it was going to be even more difficult trying to get it fixed too…

* * *

Breakfast was an awkward affair for some good reasons.

Yasaka was staring silently at Kuroka, the young woman trying her best to appear… calm and collected while in the presence of the leader of the Yokai faction of Kyoto.

While someone like the Nekoshou wouldn't normally be impressed by the formality behind these titles, the black-haired beauty knew very well that the fact that she had been part of a kidnap attempt towards the blonde's daughter not too long ago.

Times had passed and allegiances switched, but forgiveness for that act was hardly going to be dealt with a simple talk. It didn't help that the woman discovered her presence while checking on me the day before, half an hour after lunch.

Her intentions were good but her discovery couldn't be considered that much from her side. Peeking her head from the doorstep, her golden eyes widened at seeing Kuroka and I sharing the same bed… with our clothes thrown all over the room.

The fact that the sheets were barely covering our bodies, coupled with the 'scent' she caught with a mere sniff in our general direction, was enough to get the woman in a diplomatic silence for an entire day.

Kunou was also surprised to see Kuroka still here, greeting her amicably while also pointing out the pungent smell coming from the two of us and… the bite-mark that she spotted during dinner.

Suspicions, curiosity and a newfound reason to pester around proved to be quite a difficult obstacle for the rest of the day but...

No proper answer was provided, something that both the two women and me agreed to not give to the 'impressionable blonde'.

_**Which is silly, considering that she did receive Sex Ed back in Kuoh, she knows about the 'Talk'- **_

_But we are not going to give her any strange ideas! What if she decided it is 'fun' and-_

_**Are we talking about the same Kitsune? The girl will not do that. Cease with your senseless nagging.**_

Yet it was in that morning that something curious happened as Kunou, still curious and intrigued by the situation, decided to go for an unexpected attempt.

"By the way, Niichan," She started with a normal tone, almost getting me unaware for the silent plan she had developed that morning. "Can I sleep with you and Kuroka today?"

Suddenly, the temperature of the entire dropped to a glacial cold, Yasaka looking rather_ fine and smiling_, but I could recognize the aura of someone 'promising murder at any wrongs done'.

Something that, even as her surrogate soon, was susceptible for and the woman knew that as she directed it all against me.

I gulped nervously. "K-Ku-chan, Kuroka-chan doesn't have a sleepwear. I don't want you to… get embarrassed. Do you understand why I have to refuse?"

The girl instantly deflated_, _as fast as her mother's simmering anger did, but then as she pouted in annoyance at the response… her eyes widened and she stared first at me and then at the Nekoshou.

She smiled giddily. "So that means that you both did 'that'?" Kunou asked cheekily much to my immense chagrin.

If before that the temperature had hit a glacial level, now we were close to actually burn at the blunt comment from the young blonde and… Yasaka stood up from her seat, my eyes widening in panic at the action.

"Ku-tan, did you send me a letter about you being given the 'Talk'?" She asked calmly, _way too soothingly for my tastes_, but the girl nodded and… the woman sighed tiredly. "I thought so." She admitted before returning to her previous seat.

_...What?_

_**I think that she just pranked you.**_

…_WHAT?_

"Yasa-haha, not that I wish to sound disrespectful, but… did you just mess with us until now?" My tone was soft, but my own anger was rising.

The woman hummed as she took some more rice with her chopsticks. "About Ku-tan's knowledge of the adult anatomy? A little." She paused as to finish the food in her mouth, gulping it carefully as to not choke. "About what you did in your room with Kuroka-_tan_?" Her smile grew sickly-sweet once more. "Maybe not."

I blinked and, while I wanted to press for more, my common sense reminded me that a wrong word could get be in _that _situation once again. And I didn't need to get my ass handed by the woman.

I mean, I could easily beat her with Twilight Joker but… then I would have to explain to Azazel, Sirzechs and others why I'm using it so easily and without a proper training area.

As much as the one provided by Amaterasu could hold up with Yokai magic, I doubted it could have handled well Draconic- and Demonic-energies as it did with the previous case.

"Still, isn't this a good thing, Mama?" Kunou chirpily commented about. "With Kuroka having gone with the big step, now it's Akeno's and Aqua's turns!" She added and… the room fell quiet once more, Yasaka's face darkening even more than before.

This time I was seriously feeling the dread about this situation.

"Ku-tan, did you perhaps forget to tell Mama about Hoi-bou's suitors?" Her left eye was twitching, the girl frowning and thinking about it and… she sported a sheepish smile.

"I did." I think at this point a collective Anime's face-faulting would have made things the best but… I decided to use this situation to actually defend… the four of us.

"Yasa-haha, the girls and I aren't rushing anything and we have spent much time together-"

"A polyamorous relationship isn't some joke, young man." The woman chided back, stopping me before I could truly explain. "I know you are smart and very caring, but that is something not many are capable of keeping up to. Mostly because of the immense emotional burden it could force upon the members."

I frowned my eyes directed at the table and… goddammit, I was behaving like a naughty kid being lectured now. Just as I was about to resume the defense, Kuroka decided to jump in.

"Yasaka-sama, I wish to have the chance to actually explain why us girls decided to go forward with this." The dark-haired Nekoshou bowed her head respectfully and waited to obtain permission before returning to her normal position.

The older blonde blinked, staring quietly at my 'mate' and then she sighed tiredly. "You may explain."

A nod preceded her words. "Thank you, Yasaka-sama." The young woman sighed. "This agreement wasn't formed out of lack of thinking, nor without bringing some truthful and serious responsibility over the matter. The girls and I were at first hesitant of even thinking of sharing him but… we both found things in common." She paused a moment, her eyes growing absent as she was possibly thinking about the moment they were talking about it.

I was quite unknowing of the true story that led to that deal, only that it did happen and now… we were here.

"We all came from situations were we faced the lost of someone, one way or another and… we all want to have a proper chance at having a good life after the hardships we had to endure." Kuroka's voice cracked a little, making me frown at the sudden emotional moment as it was quite uncharacteristic and unique of hers… especially for the occasion. "Hoitsu is the one that brought us out from that decadence, that gave us hope, love and understanding. He helped up to stand up and… I know it might sounds offensive but..."

Her eyes narrowed on the Yokai leader. "I love him, we love him. And we will fight for our love with our dearest lives if it did came to that."

…

If Yasaka and Kunou looked shocked at the determined declaration, I…

…

I was floored. Stomped, utterly deafened by the unexpected passion held in her tone with the words that she relayed with such conviction.

"An impressive display… Kuroka-tan." The blonde mused quietly, still recovering from that proclamation. "But I find myself asking… what would you do if said threat was forwarded towards your love." Her tone grew serious. "How would you fare against someone hell-bent in making sure you are separated from him-"

I slammed my fist on the table, cracking it a little and making everyone look my general direction. Even the uneasy guards staring at the scene with a nervous look.

"Yasa-haha," My voice was slow-paced and incredibly calm, but there was strength lingering and hiding behind my composure much to the woman's surprise. "While I understand that you are concerned with what could happen if we mess things up, I can assure you that we are giving our greatest effort to make **this** eternal." I replied with utter determination.

Then I turned to look at Kuroka, her eyes nervously directed at the table and I cupped her cheeks with my hands. She tensed, looking quite surprised by the action as I turned her too look at me.

She was blushing, the situation being indeed a little embarrassing, but I was past the little nervousness and already basking in the passion she instilled with her words.

"Kuroka-chan," I tilted my head closer to hers and smiled even more. "Thank you for giving me this much trust and strength. You and the girls are… my world. I love you all and… thank you." I pressed forward and captured her lips.

Her tension burned out as she went to hug me deeply, her hands pressing me onto hers as she wanted to feel my caring warm. I could feel tears falling and… yep, she was crying.

_**So are you.**_

_Oh, shut up!_

The kiss lasted for four strong minutes and we slowly pulled out from each other, almost unwilling to part ways and-

"That's so cool!" Our attention snapped at Kunou, the girl sporting a massive smile on her face. "That means that Ko-senpai… will now truly be Ko-Neesan!" She cheered happily, causing her mother to frown in confusion.

"Ko-senpai? You mean the little Nekoshou that you wished for me to know?" The woman questioned, getting a quick nod from the younger blonde. "Then I can only guess she is Kuro-tan's little sister… I guess that makes her another surrogate daughter."

_...Wait, what?_

"You mean that-"

"I would never obstacle a bond as strong as you both are showing. If this is only a fraction of your true connection, then I will be more than happy to support it." Yasaka admitted with a giggle, then her golden eyes turned to Kuroka.

"I found your little speech not only familiar, but also heart-warming. While I still… have some _minor grudge_ about what you did back then when you were part of the kidnapping force," The dark-haired woman looked away for a moment, causing the blonde to giggle once more. "I think you mean well, not only with your words, but also with your genuine behavior. I suppose that means that you are going to be my daughter-in-law, little Kuro-tan."

I blinked and I noticed that the Nekoshou was now blushing madly at the kind words and the kiss she was still trying to 'understand', but then the discussion shifted to another point.

"It also means that… I will have to spend a night with you and Kunou to see how you act like in a normal situation. Nothing formal, just some cuddles and some talking before going to sleep." The woman proposed much to my immense surprise.

_**We are going to sleep alone with that!**_

Maybe it was painted in my face, or maybe the woman was expecting me to think weird of it as, turning back at me with a little mirthful smile, Yasaka asked. "By the way Hoitsu, do you wish to join us too?"

_**To cuddle or to not cuddle, tis' is the dilemma!**_

_If I go, I will be 'labeled' a pervert, if I don't go, I will be spending the night alone… in that cold bed._

_**I think you are starting to get dependent at having someone to cuddle with before going to sleep. It will make the Couch's punishment quite powerful in a few years from now.**_

"Why not, Niichan? It will be nice and- we can talk about names!" Kunou pointed up with the giddiest display ever. Seriously, did someone put too much sugar in her food or what?

Then I realized the last bit and frowned. "Names, Ku-chan?"

She nodded. "Names about nephews and nieces!"

With the crap I had to endure until now, with how things had escalated and… everything else…

**Thud**

Sleep, here I come!

* * *

**AN**

**I'm incredibly tired! Today was a super-duper-big day, from the fact I updated the 'Blues of the White Sun' (Pre-WW2 Self-Insert), had to help my sister with some homework about Hamlet and Shakespeare and I managed a 'thicc' chapter today compared to usual.**

**About the first section: Yuuto did live in an orphanage in Italy, same for Xenovia. It isn't stated in the Canon if there could have been a connection but I decided to exploit that. Yes, Xenovia is now the Hoitsu to Yuuto's Kunou (Sounds odd, I'm working the kinks even now).**

**About the second section: we finished the family fluff, next chapter will be a little more serious. Hoitsu and Vali will share a talk (super-secret stuff I can't talk about) and someone will finally shine once more! (But who are they?!)**

_**Future milestone 1: 1000 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**


	74. Common Interest

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 72: Common Interest**

* * *

After spending the last night in Kyoto in quite the embarrassing way, our trip back to Kuoh Town proved to be fairly uneventful and lifting my hopes of having a full day to recover from the little period of rest I had in Yasaka's mansion.

Kunou was leaning by Kuroka's side as the Nekoshou softly petted her head, the younger girl's eyes were closed and she seemed ready for a quick nap. The woman hardly seemed winded by the trip and I was feeling just a little tired and bored by how slow things had been until now.

So, when I opened the front door of my house and I found myself being greeted by Issei, I felt a certain degree of… confusion. Sure, it was still early in the morning but he should have been going for school right now.

"Senpai." The brunet voiced happily, to which I nodded with a small smile.

"Ise, it's good to see you," I replied, while Kuroka smiled and nodded once to him while the kitsune yawned and seemingly ignored the Red Dragon Emperor.. "But can I ask why you aren't making your way to the Academy, right now?" I asked with some curiosity, making him look a little nervous.

The brunet opened his mouth but before he could explain why he was there, someone else appeared from the living room and interrupted him.

"It has to do with what happened with the recent attack," The new individual answered with a neutral tone and then he stopped to stare right at me. "Hoitsu."

I lifted a surprised eyebrow as I found myself looking at Vali, the silver-haired Devil Hybrid appearing just a little stronger than the last time we had spared some words and… cooperated against a particularly-strong enemy.

"I see that you didn't stop training, Vali." I pointed out with a small smile, the young man snorting but nodding at my compliment. "And 'recent attack'?" I inquired quietly, getting a sigh from him as he gestured us to get to the living room, Issei following him behind with an irked frown.

Just as I stepped inside, I realized that the situation had to be one of the most serious ones, with Akeno, Azazel, Baraqiel, and… the entire Slash Dog Team.

I paused in surprise, slightly overwhelmed by the unexpected presence of the squad led by Tobio. The bartender smiled and nodded my way, Suzaku actually waved me with a pleased smile while the rest followed the example set by their chief… all except one of them.

My eyes narrowed a little over the seemingly-new addition to the group, the individual wearing a cloak with its hood up and a… red-colored familiar mask. It was similar to the one I used to have as Hekishoku, but it… seemed to give a completely different emotion with its blood-like shade compared to the dark-green one I still had on me.

_**A possible fan?**_

_He would be trying to speak to me right now._

_**A shy one?**_

_Still… there is something wrong about him._

I was pretty sure that it was a man, his physical frame hardly matching a feminine one and there was something **odd **about his energy pattern. It was low, incredibly so, but I could still perceive glimpses that were being held back by… something.

Did he have his power sealed?

My smile was close to falter at looking at this strangely curious individual, but then I noticed Azazel's smirk and teasing look as he stared both me and Kuroka down.

"So… the 'deed' was truly done?"

Cue the sudden blush for the two of us while I felt the beginning of that little need of mine to punish a perverted idiot like him.

Akeno's smile widened with an elated accentuation as she let out a collective but quiet 'Ara, Ara' with her cousin. From this mere interaction and the lack of surprise at this combined reaction, I could only guess that they did have enough time to bond already.

Tobio was shaking his head while trying to pass at me some sympathetic glances as the rest of his team mirthfully accepted this little embarrassing development.

Issei looked at me in awe, possibly because he now had an undeniable proof that 'following my teachings' had been the best thing to do, yet his reaction was somewhat reduced by the presence of Asia, the girl giggling a little as she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, silencing the boy from rupturing the moment.

Kunou was… sleeping. The kitsune had long gone for some rest on Kuroka's lap as the situation unfolded, unable to keep up with the tiring effects of the trip.

Baraqiel sighed and nodded. "Congratulations, Hoitsu and Kuroka," He praised much to our discomfort, but then he seemed to adopt a more serious tone. "Still, we aren't here for a visit of courtesy, rather this is an important meeting about what has happened by the doors of Takamahagara mere hours ago." He explained with a grim look and I frowned darkly at this gloomy predicament.

"Vali mentioned an attack." I said while glancing momentarily at the young man. "But I didn't hear anything about it from Kyoto-"

"Because this isn't something known to the entire world." Azazel finally spoke, his smile deflating. "Not only is recent, but we are trying to avoid causing some uproar with the other Pantheons."

And I nodded at him without hesitation. Why shouldn't I, considering that the situation was indeed bad?

Takamahagara, or Takama no Hara, were the dwelling grounds for the Shinto deities, the place where the Gods of the Japanese Pantheon were known to be spending most of their times in and… why would they even try to go after someplace like that? The Heavenly Plains held little of importance to actually attack-

"The forced opening of the doors would have created a magical instability through Japan." Baraqiel continued to explain. "Natural phenomenons that would normally happen in the Home Islands would increase to a dangerous level, forcing us to deploy an impressive amount of effort to balance out the karmic effects."

"And that wouldn't be even the worst thing." Azazel interjected, sighing. "By mobilizing this much manpower, we would have had little to spare to stop an eventual full-frontal offensive from them."

I blinked in surprise as I didn't expect the opening of the Heavenly Gates to be _**this**_ catastrophic.

"Still, I… I don't understand why this is of importance to me." I pointed out bluntly, quickly dignifying this curt reply. "While the situation is indeed dire, I don't see why I'm somehow important to the matter-"

"That's actually very simple, brat." The Governor-General interrupted once again, this time his stare moving right onto… the mysterious new member of Slash Dog.

The caped man didn't deign the glance at first but then he turned his head to look back at the Fallen Angel.

"By my order, as a superior to Ikuse-kun, you are to reveal your real identity at once, **Tarasu**."

I blinked in shock at the sudden wave of seriousness dripping from the voice of the leader of Grigori, but my attention was soon taken by the curious name.

_Murder?_

_**Assassination, kill, dead- you know, this truly fits the Emo-ish attitude the dude is sporting right now and-**_

The man stood up from his seat in the couch, slowly and carefully as several eyes were on him, some staring at him with curiosity while others were _wary_ of him.

I tensed up a little as his hands went to his mask and… he pulled it away from his face, the hood falling and revealing his hair-

My mind blanked out as I found myself staring at-

_What am I looking a-at?_

…

'**Interesting.**'

Bandages were covering part of his face and hiding his left eye, his brown hair were stained with red locks and what should have been dark-brown eye… were now a vibrant red with golden slits.

"I'm Hoitsu Sakakibara." He stated calmly and with a surprisingly neutral tone. "And I'm the only one remaining from the erasure of my original dimension." His lone eye fixed on me and… he blinked. "And I don't wish to cause anyone harm-"

"Except Azrael and Lucifer." Azazel interrupted mirthfully. "That you looked rather eager to go for when the crazy angel tried to help the Hero Faction." He chuckled as he concluded that one bit of information.

But my brain had yet to recover to what I was looking at. At what _happened to me_.

_**This- No, it couldn't be- but- Okay, what the fuck is going on here?! Is this some prank or-**_

"But I forfeited this name when I wake up here," He continued with his dull tone. "For my purpose is just one." His voice steeled a little and… I nodded.

"You seek vengeance." I guessed quietly. "Only vengeance. You don't have a reason to exist after this situation is done for good." I blinked at his nod and then I sighed. "What about-"

"NIICHAN~!"

Before I could ask for more serious answers about his current situation, I was interrupted by the 'battlecry' of a certain young girl.

Lith blitzed from the entrance of the room to the couches, jumping towards… **Tarasu**. He blinked in shock at the sudden appearance of the pony-tailed girl, his body tensing up and preparing to move away but…

The girl giggled as she proved to be faster than him, tackling him up and pushing him down. His eyes widened in terror, as if he was afraid of the smiling girl sitting on his chest as she drove right by his chin and… nuzzled him.

Moments of quiet passed as Tarasu continued to appear incredibly tense, but doing anything else rather than staring in visible surprise at the dragonic chibi.

"Who is that?" A soft feminine tone called out from… behind me?

I turned around and felt relief at seeing Ophis staring at the scene herself, confusion surprisingly painted on her face.

"Another version of… me." I replied bluntly, my sight returning on the bandaged man. "From another dimension."

The goth chibi hummed and nodded at the answer, but still she didn't approach him, preferring to stare at the scene from afar.

_**She could be have been weirded out by the situation. It is quite the unnatural sight for sure.**_

_Maybe, but what about-_

I felt someone yanking at my shoulder and I stared at… Vali? The young man looked annoyed, his stare alternating between me and the now distracted Tarasu.

"We need to talk." The silver-haired boy stated calmly, getting a frown but also a slow nod from me.

I slowly stood out from my seat and followed him to the kitchen. Everyone was taken by the scene and thus I avoided being caught moving away from the room and I was quite curious to understand what The Lucifer wanted to talk about now of all times.

It's been a while since we shared a serious discussion and I was partly intrigued by what the young man would want to talk about with me.

He stopped and turn, his eyes closed as he looked… angry. "Do you believe him?" He asked with some irritation plastered on his face. "I don't think that this _faker _should be-"

"Lith and Ophis think he is genuine," I replied calmly, interrupting him as I now was somehow aware why he was angry. "And I can support their perception by saying that his energy is similar to mine."

_**Barely. There is just so much **__**wrong**__** in his magic that we should really understand what happened to him.**_

_Do you think he has something inside him that could hurt us all?_

_**Maybe, probably. But I will refrain from making quick decisions without proper evidence and with the seals on him, I don't think it will happen anytime soon.**_

"He could have been created by Azrael." The young man pushed back with a frown. "If he has everyone's souls, then it shouldn't be difficult to-"

"He wouldn't do it." I interjected without hesitation, drawing a confused stare from the Lucifer. "He thinks that I'm Lucifer and if I know something about fanatics is that they would never think of 'cloning' their inspiration." Humming, I took a seat by one of the stools by the table. "There is something unholy about the concept that make it abhorred by them."

He huffed, following my example and taking a seat. "I guess I can accept it and..." His features softened and sported now a tired glint. "I also need your help." He said determinedly.

I blinked once, then twice.

_**What?**_

_What?_

"What?" I finally asked and Vali merely nodded, his stare fixed at the table.

"There is this… nuisance that has started to stalk me around." He started to explain with a dull tone. "It all started from having her removed from the holds of a drunk hobo that wanted to steal her money and..." He stopped and I sighed tiredly.

"Vali, do you have a female stalker? An admirer?" I almost yawned, feeling little from that seemingly harmless tone. "I don't think that should be difficult to deal with-"

"She learned where I live, what path I usually walk by and she has a penchant of trying to guess the color of my underwear."

_**Now that sounds like someone very devoted to the Stalk God, Yuno is possibly feeling glad of having a servant-**_

_It's not a Yandere we are talking about. _

_**Are you serious? And why you said that with so much certainty?**_

_Because you missed the last bit of her descriptions. The underwear bit._

_**What about it- Oh. Oh no… but also Oh yes~!**_

Without wasting more time thinking about it, I felt a teasing smile creeping on my face.

"I think I know the person you are depicting here and…" I put a hand on his shoulder and patted it. "I will certainly not endanger myself with _her_ of all people."

He blinked and then he frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Aika Kiryuu, spectacle-wearing girl with light-brown hair and-" He nodded and I stopped listing her known details. "Well, she is known as the 'Ultimate Perverted Girl' at Kuoh Academy. For good reasons too… and I've always avoided to personally deal with her because of that."

"You mean that you can't help me with her?" He seemed incredibly annoyed by this but not that much angry at my refusal.

"It's more like I can't help you directly," I admitted calmly. "But I think you can try to endure the 'wave' and hope for her to shift her attention elsewhere."

… "Like a cat or something like that?" He asked with a frown.

"A perverted kind of cat, one that could perfectly give you the measurements about your- nevermind." I shook my head and-

Bleach. I need bottles of bleach to deal with the horrifying sight that just flashed from the girl's perverted statements I've heard her say while facing the combined front formed by Sona and Tsubaki.

Moments of silence passed and I let the young man take in the fact that his situation was truly a hopeless one… _**at best.**_

Then, I remembered something I had to say to Vali but I had never had the chance to truly confirm.

"By the way, his your team still in Kuoh Town?" I asked quietly, the silver-haired boy nodding at the statement, his mind slowly leaving the 'horrifying' prospects of having to live with the whole 'stalker issue' for a longer time than planned.

"Arthur and Le Fey are mostly staying indoors at the 'headquarters'," He finally described. "Bikou spends most of his time by the park, either meditating, training or pranking bystanders around."

_**...Could it be that Bikou is the 'Monkey-boy' that has been terrorizing the park for weeks now?**_

_Probably yes._

"So there is a chance to do a… group session of training?" I proposed quietly, causing him to frown back at me.

"What?"

I sighed. "We are working on a very tight schedule, with the Hero Faction and Azrael cooperating… we need to step up our game even more." I said with a confident tone. "That is why I think we should start to… train together."

…

"Would that mean that-"

"We would spar frequently, yes." I interrupted him quickly. "And I wish to explore the possibility of making use of a technique that requires two people to truly work."

He blinked. "How powerful is it?"

"My power plus yours, all multiplied by ten."

Vali's eyes widened at the small but impressive formula as the result would be… **something beyond mere training.**

"I… I think something can be planned." He admitted calmly.

"Then I guess we will speak tomorrow about it." I pressed him much to his chagrin. "C'mon, it will be… like old times?"

"When I got mauled by Tobio and you jumped in?" He asked cautiously, groaning only after seeing me nod. "You might be a good person, Hoitsu, someone that is interesting to have around, but I would be lying in saying that I don't hate you."

I merely smiled, standing up and leading him back to the living room as things had calmed down and… plans were being made.

_**Things sure were going to turn fun very soon…**_

* * *

Sirzechs wasn't having fun.

Groaning and having some minor trouble standing after sustaining this much damage so quickly, he would have expected that his lovely wife would have at least called off the spar.

The maid was standing just outside the large area where the battle was happening, her red eyes staring at both him and… his opponent.

Smiling giddily as her body was coated in her own magic, Rias Gremory looked like she was having a blast in completely obliterating her big brother. Her tracksuit was partly ruined with small cuts and lacerations all over the fabric, her cheek sporting just a tiny cut despite the intense training session they had gone through.

It had all began from the day Hoitsu had come to visit and 'pep-talk' his sister to finally do something else rather than merely play with her PC for most of the daylight. The girl had come out from her 'cave' a few hours after the young man had left, her interest being… going for a run around the mansion.

A surprising decision, but one that the man praised happily as he regarded it as the first sign that she could have recovered from that period of isolation. _If only he had thought more about the odd request…_

The first day out was spent running. Only running.

She made around a hundred of laps around the building, her Devilish physique helping her to complete the normally-absurd exercise without any major strain to her body.

The second and third day was spent training her magic alone, something that was a little worrying to hear about but Rias still managed to go through the hours-long session without any major issues. He had thought of his concerns as mere brotherly worry, but soon things stepped up to a… strange level.

The laps around the mansion doubled, tripled and then quadrupled, her Core increasing and improving under the careful duress it was put onto and then… she developed an odd quirk.

It was a bizarre day when Sirzechs was called by his own mother to see what her daughter was doing in that very moment. There was no worry nor concern in Venelana's tone, thus he had been fairly unaware of the scary activity his sister was soon going to call a 'hobby' of hers.

He had appeared by the courtyard, his parents standing several meters away from the circle that took him there, and they were all staring at… a giggly Rias carefully climbing the eaves above the main front doors.

There was proper equipment, there was also a tutor specialized in urban climbing and parkour slowly giving her some advice on how to proceed with the activity and… the unofficial leader of the Four Satans was forced to take a seat and reflect about what was going on with his sister.

This training… had at first sounded so senseless and quite childish, knowing very well that the girl was strong enough for someone her age and _then the spar was offered_.

A simple query given with a honeyed tone that only spurned him to accept as a good brother… only for his smiling face to be matched by a quick jab at his chin.

Differently from the last time he had 'played' around with Rias, the younger redhead had started to use a more direct approach than merely throw a barrage of condensed magical power.

This change wasn't for nothing, as Sirzechs realized something that he should have noticed_ before_ this humiliating session could have even began. While his magical prowess was still unmatched, his close-quarters was rusty and terribly out-classed by the hard-working sibling, her speed and physical strength being_ shockingly higher than his own._

He had tried to keep her away from him by backing quickly out from the confrontations but any attempt about that was easily dealt with a rush of numerous low-powered explosive spells thrown at him. Distracting too much proved to be a mistake as she would then capitalize to resume the close encounters and… deal some considerable damage on his unfocused guard.

Her hits were stinging and soon he was forced to bring out some more of his untapped energy. A wave of Destruction energy coaxed around his sore self.

"I-I think it's time to surrender, Rias-tan." Sirzechs was grinning while saying this, confident that his sister wouldn't have gone against him with some of his truer strength out. "You can't handle the-"

He stopped as he saw Rias grinning eye to eye, almost expecting him… to go that far.

She wouldn't have dared to, and yet-

The girl took a deep breath and then she muttered familiar words. Words that she wasn't supposed to know about and yet… she was going to use it.

"_Kaioken!_"

Her power doubled, outshining his own boost in mere moments as she made use of her stronger state to rush for a quick taste of its unique potential. All punches went through his defense, much to his chagrin and pain, and the final kick sent him flying back to the ground.

He groaned, feeling quite irritated of being beaten so easily by his younger sibling (His cute Rias!).

That was unacceptable and he will now show her his true power-

"Rias wins." Grayfia's voice echoed in the damaged battlefield, causing the two redheads to stop in shock at that proclamation. "Sirzechs is out-of-bounds." She explained curtly, pointing out that he _was indeed sitting several meters away from the arena's special floor._

His head sagged for a moment in crushing defeat, his sister throwing her hands up in the sky as she let go of the technique. "Yatta!"

...Part of him would have wanted to contest the judgment of his lovely wife, but even then the mere moment of celebration from his cute little sister was more than enough to get him out from the post-spar gloomy mood. In fact, he cracked a small twitchy smile at her as he walked towards the two women.

"T-That was impressive, Rias-tan-"

"'It is time to surrender'?" The girl interjected with a mocking tone. "'I cannot handle the pressure'?" She ended with a minor snort, shaking her head. "Forgive me, Niisan, but it seems like you handed yourself this defeat."

He facepalmed and groaned, it didn't help that his wife was actually smiling at that caricature of him. "I-I was trying to-" He sighed, knowing that it wouldn't matter at the clearly excited girl. Still, he decided to ask about a concern of his. "By the way, Rias-tan, how did you develop the 'Kaioken'?" His inquiry was met with a blink, then two.

"It was actually from cousin Sairaorg." The girl said with a confused tone. "Don't you remember? He was the one mentioning it when he returned from the Phenex invitation to lunch." She let out some anger at the mentioning of that family, her irritation directed at Raiser still there.

In that moment, Sirzechs did remember that the young man had been quite lengthy about his explanation of the technique, a clear sign that he had been intrigued by it and that he was possibly going to integrate it in his own arsenal… like usual.

But despite receiving minor attention from Zeoticus and Sirzechs, Venelana and Rias did listen to his narration and, while his mother did this for family's sake, the younger redhead did that to… acquire such a terribly powerful boost.

"I-If I remember correctly, wouldn't that need some major training other than-"

"Meditation was easy to do in my room." Rias interjected with an annoyed look. "Also, I had to build some muscles." She rolled up one of her sleeves and… yes, her arm was a little more toned that he had last seen it. She was also a little taller and her bust-

"Niisan, stop staring at my chest." She huffed angrily, her reaction followed by the more subtle, but promising '**a terrible night of tortures**, coming from his wife. The maid looked irritated, but she had herself noticed that the former heiress had grown a little more than before.

It was in the Devil's biology, the capacity to adapt their growth to their convenience until there was a proper dedication of the Devil itself to absorb nutrients and steadily train.

Rias had done so and she had improved a lot from that.

It was shocking but, the maid would be compelled to say that the girl was almost as strong as she was… without the Kaioken.

But just as they were about to leave the training room within the mansion, they all stopped and turned at the sound of someone clapping at them.

Smiling happily and slowly advancing towards them, Zekram Bael seemed to be in a good mood from the way his entire stance was… so relaxed.

"A perfect display of ruthlessness and power, grandniece." The man praised the girl, his clapping stopping as he was finally close enough to speak. "But I can only guess that this little spar hardly got you to use your full power, correct?"

The young Gremory blinked but… nodded at him, knowing that she could hardly refuse his questions.

His smile widened at the information.

"That's good to hear." He admitted with genuine interest. "Almost makes me wish to put you against your cousin but…" He paused with a sigh, noticing the brief spark of fear at facing the stronger opponent. "I think it would be a waste to have something so barbaric, among family."

He blinked, his smile assuming an endeared tone. "But what if it wasn't family? What if it was… a chance for redemption-"

"Her punishment can't be swayed, Elder Bael." Sirzechs jumped at this, his face steeling in a serious look. "The judgment can't be overruled-"

"But that isn't my plan, Lord _Lucifer_." The old man replied with a cold tone. "In fact, I was thinking about testing her resolve in facing someone that can offer her a full pardon if he thinks she is ready."

"W-What?" The girl blurted in shock.

_What was he talking about? No one could-_

"If the major offended side feels that the culprit has paid more than enough with their penance, then they can fully pardon the culprit." Zekram explained curtly, getting a snort from the leader of the Satans.

"That is a rule that is applied if there is a case of war-"

"And forgive me then, _Sirzechs_." The Bael interrupted with a scowl. "Do you think that with a group of silly 'heroes' and war-craving deities trying proclaiming war against us, this is still peace for Hell?" He shook his head. "And to think I was the one that vouched for you to be the 'Lucifer' of the council-"

"Enough, _Elder Bael_." The man finally snapped with cold fury. "Your presence is no longer accepted and it's preferred that you avoid being around me and my family."

"But isn't young Rias my own family too?" The elder stated blankly as he turned around and started to walk away. "Such a pity..."

And while the former Lord of the Bael clan retreated out of the room, Rias's mind started to face a terrible series of conflicts.

Many regarding the situation of her punishment, her improvement and… what if she could truly be pardoned?

It wasn't like she would return to her usual routine now that she found interesting training in her free time… but she would be lying if she said that she didn't miss Kuoh Academy and her peerage.

She sighed and remembered that Hoitsu was going to have to fight with Sairaorg, the date imminent by now and… then maybe, when the event would happen, her mind would be prepared to have something to say and do for the occasion.

_**Whatever it is asking for true forgiveness… or maybe seeking praise about her humble growth.**_

* * *

**AN**

**It's been… a while?**

**I mean, I've been doing stuff for the story, but I don't think many have noticed 'the changes' I've been bringing to the plot.**

**If you go to chapter 26 to 30, you will see that some mistakes have been removed, some sections have been expanded and I plan to change some bits of the plot when my holiday break from updating begins.**

**Yes, I will not be updating anything of the regular schedule from December 23 to 30, and I will focus on the newer projects, fixing some of the mistakes left in the last… 40 chapters or so and I will add some Oneshots to this fanfic. What about?**

**I can already say the first one will be a pilot that will Xover with… another pilot. Not many pilots nowadays so… I leave you to guess which one I'm talking about.**

**Also, I would love to hear some more feedback from ya'll because if I want to change things, may it be grammar or 'things that have to go', I would like to hear 'proper' criticism. What is that? Well, it's when you don't go moderated (or not too cynical, but also not too kind about the review).**

**And lastly, I've a Cofi (but with the K) account. I've seen that many have some trouble with the monthly donation thingie, thus I decided that this new one (which is single donations) could be a little easy to… go around.**

_**Future milestone 1: 1000 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Wacko12****: Difficult but possible.**


	75. Vertical Asymmetry

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 73: Vertical Asymmetry **

* * *

Cao Cao was unsure of what to think about the sight he was given when he went to search for Azrael.

Not something that he had gone to do out of courtesy, the Angel was an abomination before his eyes and he would certainly be the happiest to eliminate such a dangerous monster from Earth.

The major issue was presented by what had happened back when their forces clashed against the divine guards by the Ama-no-uki-hashi. The heavenly bridge that connected the mortal world to Takamagahara had been fairly easy to reach and mostly cross, the major problems rising when a grand force had met up with the faction before it could have concluded the crossing.

The guards were easy to fend off, but their high number proved to be a reason to worry and be focused during the whole brawl. There had been no peace, no rest, only an intense and over-arching thought that spanned through the rest of the conflict.

With the presence of some of the more war-fueled deities helping them and with Azrael offering his support with his unpleasant power, there had been no doubt in the mind of the wielder of the true Longinus that nothing could have stopped them from truly crossing the single defensive line presented before Shinto Heaven.

Things were sure… until a true agent of chaos had emerged from the direction they had come from. An entire group formed by high-tier members of Grigori, Slash Dog was a dangerous but manageable team that rushed quickly to lessen the burden the Heroes were throwing at the garrison, forcing a two-front fight to happen and…

Then Gods started to die.

Beings that were supposed to represent the highest peak of their respective Pantheons, were easily butchered with by someone moving within the group led by Tobio Ikuse. Someone that Cao Cao had little knowledge of, his appearance giving little to him about this unknown stranger.

Yet it was his style, so brutal and ruthless, efficiently tearing through the brave men and women he had brought to this important event, that offered some sight within the intentions and the means behind this new piece in the board.

A disturbance to his peaceful and logical plans that had made even his heart of steel tremble for just a moment. It was so much… unbelievable, even the sole staring at the calculative manners of such darkness at work was enough to send some chills down his spine. There was something unnerving about the masked fellow, the power displayed by the man dealing non-negligible damage upon his opponents.

Something was indeed wrong with this individual, _terribly so._

He would have rushed to the fight too, his battle-sense craving for some serious brawling and nothing of the previous pest-extermination he had been gone for. Who could even dare to refuse this grand deed in the making? **To put down a beast of a man?**

But just as Cao Cao had been prepared to rush to the battle with this fearsome being, an unholy shriek had him frozen stuck on his position. Eyes going wide open, he had turned to see whom was responsible for such a scary reaction.

Continuous and defiant, the noise originated from Azrael himself as the Angel flung himself at the masked individual. His usually giddy self was now gone, forsaken for a hideous scowl that glowed in utter hatred and displeasure towards… the very man that had caught his attention.

The stranger seemed to barely care for the approaching monster, his posture hardly tensing as the shrieking fiend prepared to lunge at him. His whole body was coated in dark-red energy and through the eye-holes in his mask the human could see… power.

Raw power, emotionless power, aimless power. So much could be said by just a stare of those terrifying eyes, eyes that seemed to tell a silent but tall story of everything and... Azrael looked uncaring of this visible change as he went to engage in some close-quarters fighting with their newest enemies.

They were blurs, a red one against a dark-blue one giving chase to each other, their clashes frequently creating immense amounts of pressure all through the holy grounds and… everyone, both guards and invaders, paused as the shock-waves of the first attack reached their proximity.

The bridge **creaked** in discomfort at the insane amount of energy involved in that exchange of hits, causing more surprise to rise from those defending the gates, while none of the two fighters seemed to care for the attentive spectators of that soundless and senseless brawl they were part of.

The hero's hold over Longinus had tightened as he felt… small. Minuscule.

Until now, Cao Cao had thought that Godhood was the limit that the world would offer to those worthy of it, yet this… this wasn't a battle of Gods.

A massacre, a blood bath promised to those that even thought of joining in that 'simple' one against another. His breathing was almost non-existing and… then the most horrifying noise he had ever heard rouse once again, this time the pitch sporting shock and pain as the Angel was sent careening away from the tiny encounter.

The masked individual _**roaring **_in utter fury, clothes torn and revealing part of his part of his chest and his left arm. Scales, dark-red ones lapping over the pink skin of a human being.

_**An abomination both within and outside.**_

Just as he readied his Longinus to jump the melee and halt the advance of the fool, he saw _**it.**_

His eyes were now devoid of any emotion, only power and with a powerful outburst, his truest self manifested but briefly.

The end, the finish line for the lives of those that lived for justice but also for infamy. It was _the impartial judge_ of everything, the one that revealed a similarity to the damaged Azrael.

Raphaeline, the aide of the Being of Death, had stared from a safe distance as her 'chief' seemed to be unwilling to get up, groaning in pain as he snarled.

"**FILTHY L-LIAR!**" He had suddenly roared back, only to pass out and with him the deadly aura that had surrounded him only now.

The masked figure had been utterly enraged as he had slowly started to take more steps towards them.

It turned out that there was only a singular choice to make, quite straightforward as the leader of the Hero Faction turned to his comrades and proclaimed the bitterest word to ever order as a leader.

"Retreat!" He croaked in panic, almost flinching at the voice remaining in his throat.

There was no hesitation as everyone had then proceeded to jump off the bridge, ready to dispatch their teleportation seals and return back to their headquarters. Even the panicking female Angel managed to rush to take the wounded Azrael and pull him away from the bridge, activating the seal provided by Indra.

Landing on the safe haven that was the Hindu Deity's garden never gave him that much relief and… dread. The God had been there to wait for their glorious return, other representatives that he had invited for the occasion being there to witness the event and… things had taken a sour turn when the truth had been delivered to the group of divine beings, their reaction giving off much of their inner fury regarding the outcome of this raid.

A defeat that wasn't supposed to happen, Cao Cao did felt the shame and the embarrassment of having been unprepared for the counter-attack presented by that Crimson Demon. Yet he was glad of the fact that Azrael had been injured by this unfortunate turn of events, providing a more than legitimate proof to the angry deities that the difficulty had been far beyond the capacity of the group.

What was supposed to end in a complete and utter breakup of their alliance because of their failure proved to be something that brought more worries and a need to form an active coalition.

The news that Grigori harbored a God-Slayer, someone that was capable of killing deities with ease, was enough to lift some concerns from everyone but also bring some opportunity to demonize the situation.

It should have been difficult, but twisting the tale to fit the rhetoric of their side proved to be easier to corroborate than planned and more Pantheons had started to lean towards their direction.

A good achievement, but far from granting the immense advantage a successful raid would have provided to them. A distraction to give a decisive blow to the Three Factions would have been essential to win the war that was to come. Yet his hopes hadn't realized, a miser reward forwarded by the always-cruel fate around them.

With his musings ceasing so did his wandering to seek out Azrael, the Angel having missed some of the important gatherings organized for the occasion. Wary and cautious, Cao Cao ventured in the lair of the monster with keen eyes and sharp hold over Longinus.

He walked inside the large room that was supposed to hold the Angel inside and… he found him.

His coat was now lying on the floor, tears and burns visible from the distance as the tall abomination was staring… at himself?

Raphaeline was a few meters away from him, not daring to stare at the terrifying glimpse upon the insanity of the beast. She glanced at the human, her eyes revealing quite the nighmareish experience behind the last few hours before resuming her silent stare away from the monster.

Littered with scars, the body of the Angel sported cracks of energy, never-ending whispers of dreadful last wishes from the souls accommodated within his flesh were leaving from those as Azrael silently glared at his chest.

At first, Cao Cao had thought that the Angel had yet to notice his presence and he was certain that it was far too distracted by his wounds to mind the weaker being but-

"To think that there could be a heretic in my own garden." Azrael muttered absently, his eyes lingering back to Cao Cao before snapping back on his own torso. "To think that… a monstrous thought like that would be born from nothingness."

The human blinked at the depiction and frowned.

"Are you referring to the masked fiend?" His tone was the same as usual, elevated but heroic, yet it somehow lacked the normal confidence it had. For good reasons, he admitted.

The Angel spun around a furious expression snapping on his face as he scowled. "The greatest of sinners, the one that defied **his wish**, for the sake of some silly hopeless soul!" He ranted angrily. "He isn't supposed to fall so deep in the worst, yet he did. He dared to-" A pause, then a blink as his tense posture eased and in that moment Cao Cao realized that he was shaking a little.

The blood-lust echoing from the Angel of Death was almost unbearable, only pure willpower was having him stand composed and not on the ground and unconscious as the younger Angel was. Raphaeline had fainted, the powerful outburst being too much for her and… the human blinked as his eyes landed on Longinus and he froze in shock.

The weapon was groaning, as if it had just survived an attempt of being bent by something and…

It had been the peer pressure!

It was an impossible connection, yet that would explain why it did felt… way stronger than anything he had ever felt. His mind remembered the thoughts he had back during that brief engagement between Azrael and the masked being, only for his realization to hit a cold point.

This Angel… he was beyond God?

The creation of a Deity was never meant to surpass its maker, an absolute law that had been imposed to all deities from an unknown time. The collective agreement had lasted until now among all Patheons… yet here it was.

Azrael was the proof of the fool play of the Christian God, the conception of a being that not only nodded to his own rules but also defied the standards by ascending beyond the divinity and into the idealistic.

He wasn't staring at the Angel of Death.

No, this was Death itself, the concept given thoughts and emotions. A desire for something.

His eyes widened as he saw the being now smiling and tilting towards him.

"You realized, didn't you?" He tilted back to a normal position, face-palming a broken snort. "Of course, the hints and the fight. But mostly the defiance." He sighed and nodded. "Truly amazing but also… _amusing!_"

"Y-You-" The human's voice was failing at the depraved magnitude before him, the final abomination. "You are-"

"Azrael." The Angel finished for him, his index suddenly pressing the hero's lips close. "And you will say no-thing~ about it or _next time_ you will not be around to see… anything, I guess."

The threat wasn't lost to Cao Cao, no response about it, neither an act to boldly defy such an ultimatum, nor an acceptance to the subjugation. There wasn't a need to do that as he could now see _his soul _screaming from the glowing cracks on the monster's skin.

"Good boy!" The fiend replied with an appreciative tone. "Now, go to Indra and tell him that I was just thinking how I could graciously help you all with the next task. We need to be quick after all."

W-What?

His smile widened. "His arrival." He explained with a crazed look. "He is nigh! My God is almost here~!" A dark chuckle echoed through the humongous room as Cao Cao turned around and rushed away from that horrible place of madness.

This… this wasn't what he wanted!

* * *

It was a quiet day in Kuoh Town.

The time spent at school was quick and uneventful, providing me just a little reprieve from what was planned to happen later that day.

Once more, my duties as the Treasurer of the Student Council proved to be lessened by the sharp and precise cuts applied by Sona and the new and well-managed budget showed already some pleasant results as trips out of the 'normal' town were now planned to happen more frequently than in the last few years.

A small boon to the students now that they weren't drained by the lack of proper funds because of silly clothes and other ineffective expenditures for the school itself. Clubs received an improved monthly income that increased the overall quality, something that was mostly noticed by the sport-related teams as new equipment to replace the obsolete one was now affordable for them all.

Kunou had decided to linger behind this very day to see what kind of issues I had to go through with my role in the Student Council, a mere visitor that was granted just a glimpse in the maddening thing known as paperwork.

_**Which possibly scarred the girl about ever dealing with any tall towers made by papers and ink.**_

'**It's amusing how rulers back in ancient times would be annoyed by the regular sessions of court and I'm almost intrigued to see their face before such a 'terrible threat' as paperwork.**'

_One of these days I will find a way to get you out and face it for a full day._

'**Challenge accepted.**'

_**Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him.**_

Leaving the school grounds with the kitsune on tow, our walk back home was quite peaceful and lacking of anything worth of mention.

It was by the time that we had finally gotten back to the front door that I felt that… there was someone waiting by the other side of the entrance.

Akeno? Kuroka? Maybe Issei and Asia?

No. I noted grimly as I opened the door and… was greeted by a small group of familiar people led by a clearly-annoyed silver-haired young man. Vali looked particularly annoyed by the possibly (surely) long waiting he had to go through.

_**Poor lad. I really want to pat his head right now…**_

…

_**What? No reaction to that?**_

'**I think that was pretty… cringy?**'

_**Ok boomer!**_

'**Get over here, nineteen-years old!**'

_I despise both of you…_

"Vali-"

"Training."

I stopped mid-greeting, my eyes blinking back at his irritated frown with some perplexity.

"Much childish?"

Arthur shook his head at my words while Le Fey had a small smile on her face, her hand shooting by her mouth as a muffled giggle could be heard much to their leader's further annoyance.

"Hello there, buddy." Bikou was smiling eye-to-eye and seemingly showing a 'tame' approach compared to anything I had heard so far. "Vali here is just dealing with the fact he wasn't given his daily prescription of sparring with someone strong. Kind of a kink if you ask me-"

"Aren't you the one terrorizing kids at the park?" I interjected with a confused frown. The comment had his eyes go wide, his jaws dropping for just a moment before he looked away with a frown and a small pout.

"That's-a low blow here, pal." He huffed before turning his attention towards Kunou. "Hello there, little lady."

The blonde frowned. "Are you a pervert?" She asked with faux-innocence.

The oldest of the two Pendragon siblings snorting at the suddenness of the comment, the maid by his side frowning at him but cracking a smile at the joke too. The magician… went in for a laugh much to the monkey's chagrin and Vali smirked at the comeback.

The lancer turned around and waved his hands in defeat. "Welp, nevermind then." He muttered before distancing himself from the utter sass.

_**Gah, Kunou can be so savage… and it's our fault.**_

_Yep and I proudly accept the blame for this._

I patted the girl's head, getting a small smile from her before finally addressing the Lucifer.

"I guess we can start soon, the others have yet to arrive and..." I stopped to blink as a scowl was now present in Vali's face.

"Seriously? You don't want to wait-"

"Give me a spar." The young man finally admitted. "I've been having a hard time dealing with my stalker, Lilith denied me the chance of having some training session before coming here and-"

I snorted. "You are aching for a spar. It's been a while since we have sparred together." I pointed out with some genuine surprise about the last bit.

He nodded. "Since the Samael Incident." The Devil-Human hybrid corrected with a sigh. "So a spar-"

"Not yet." I said with a stern tone. "But I think we can do something to pass some time before the full training day begins." I mentioned and he blinked at my mysterious allusion.

Then his eyes widened a fraction. "You mean that technique?" He asked quickly to which I nodded.

"Yep, but I think we should move to the training grounds before I tell you anything about it." I muttered, getting a nod from him as we all moved to the upper floor. I saw Akeno by the living room as she was finishing her homework and I waved at her, the Fallen Angel blinking and then smiling before waving back with a lovely expression.

_**She is truly… a different person from how we met her.**_

_She is quite graceful, even more than just appearing like that._

My thoughts were kept brief as we reached for the area in less than a minute and, as the team and Kunou sat outside of the arena, I finally addressed with Vali about the Fusion Dance.

"The Metamoran Dance, better known as the Fusion Dance, is a technique that allows two beings to 'fuse in a single entity'." I started to explain with a calm tone. "There are requirements and limits to such a powerful concept, the first being the biological similarities and differences of the two beings."

I pointed at Vali. "I'm a human and since you aren't a full Devil, we are compatible for such ability." I said with a small smile, to which he replied with a little frown.

"So two beings… like a pure-blooded human and a pure-blooded Yokai can't commit to this?" He asked out of curiosity and I nodded.

"The technique is rather strict," I answered. "Even with this little obstacle dealt with, the other bits are fairly limiting themselves."

I lifted my index finger. "The two users need to have the same energy level during the action, thus it requires attention diverted to make sure to be synchronized regarding that." Then I lifted a second finger. "The dance itself can be… considered funny to a certain degree. It is quite simple, but fairly amusing to stare at much to the users' annoyance." He frowned at this point, Bikou perking at the mentioning of anything amusing coming soon, but then I lifted a third and final finger. "If done properly, the fusion will last a full thirty minutes… without any major boost applied to the form."

"So if we used the Balance Breaker in that form-"

"The length of the fusion would slightly lower. Nothing major as the fusion itself is a very stable form compared to anything similar to it." I assured him and Vali seemed to accept with some irritation this limit to the form.

We started by having our energy synchronize to the same degree, a process that took around ten minutes to complete as we weren't the… most coordinated with our comments.

_**I wonder what would happen if you played a coop match in Portal 2.**_

_Probably we would fail at everything, swear at each other and then fail some more._

_**Sounds about right.**_

After spending fatigue and brain cells over the incredibly simple task, our next step was… the dance itself. I went to do it solo, to show that the positions had to be mirrored by the second user… only for Bikou to throw some amused comments back at me.

The dance was funny, there was no point in denying it, but the fact it came from this individual, someone that thrives in utter chaos and giggles, I found it difficult to keep myself from going to him and bash his skull inward.

I was graced at a certain point from Le Fey. The young Magician pointing out that some of the more complex and more powerful spell could be deemed funny and dumb to look at, but the sheer potential and capacity wasn't something to scoff at.

The white-haired hybrid was silent as he watched and learned the various steps of the dance, then nodding and confirming the fact he was ready for the first test.

Part of me was slightly worried for two separate reasons, the first being that the technique might as well fail as of now, since I was unsure over the full integration of such power within the actual logical side of magic, the latter issue being if we ended up messing up the dance, creating a weaker and deterring entity for Vali.

My worries… proved to be unfounded.

The Lucifer went perfectly with the execution of his part and so did I, the moment our fingertips touched… a blast of heat and energy went to coax us, light blinding us as I felt my mind go blank and…

…

This is interesting.

We blinked at the resulting being, noticing instantly the classic clothes of the Metamorean race and… our power was absurdly high. Even in our basic form, the energy we were currently holding was far greater than** Hoitsu **had expected.

The formula could have been slightly off, but the results were indeed as positive as **Vali **wanted them to be. We started to stretch a little and we ended up noticing that the clothes were also fairly conservative compared to Gogeta and Gotenks.

There was a dark-blue shirt covering our chest, gloves covering our hands instead of the common armlets and we felt some pauldrons on ourselves too.

"This is so-" Kunou jumped inside the arena and rushed to ogle at the form with starry-eyes. "Cool!" She exclaimed giddily much to our… confusion?

_**I think your reactions are overlapping and mixing up into confusion.**_

**Oh? There is someone else in the mindscape?**

'**It would seem like we all joined together in this entity. I'm Apophis and I can only guess you are Albion.**'

**That would be correct, yes.**

_**And I'm Shiranai, kind of the Dark side of Hoitsu.**_

**Dark side? Like a completely different being or-**

_**It's a symbiotic relationship. I can't live without him but he could technically live without me, but without the cool powers I could give him.**_

**Interesting. So… this Fusion, what should we… call him?**

A curious question, one that I have an answer too.

_**What?**_

Our hand reached for the kitsune's unsuspecting head and we started to pat her much to her surprise. "We think you are getting over-excited, Kunou-chan." We said with a calm tone. "But if you want, we can grant you a little spar. Nothing too dangerous."

**And your name is?**

In due time, Albion. No need to ruin the surprise.

The blonde blinked at the offer, but softly nodded and took a fighting position. We merely crossed our arms close to our chest and waited for her to begin attacking. There was silence, there was calm and… she _slowly_ rushed towards us.

The girl's speed was still as high, if not higher than in the last spar she had with **Hoitsu**, the boost offered by Lith having still influence her natural self as her attacks would have been nothing to scoff at… if we weren't fused.

The rapid rush was rendered void, helpless and devoid of any contact as we easily moved through her punches and kicks. It was so simple and yet… so normal for our whole new self as we felt like it was a common habit.

_**Muscle memory is combined too?**_

**That would seem the case.**

'**What an interesting development.**'

A boring one at best.

The kitsune ceased her assault and backed away. Her breathing was labored, but she looked merely winded by her lengthy attempt. "Y-You dodged everything, Niicha- I mean-"

"You may call us that, Kunou-chan." We interrupted politely while smiling kindly at her. There was no reason to behave badly towards the helpful blonde.

_**And there isn't any sign of arrogance.**_

**Truly?**

_**Yes. Many fusions have… quite the cocky attitude to themselves. But this one is incredibly self-aware and focused.**_

'**Maybe the full display of his nature will appear in a real fight.**'

"Now, Kunou-chan." We said with a calm tone. "We will go for a very brief offensive. We will hold back to a bare minimum and hit the same spot with only our legs. We can withhold ourselves from going that far but-"

"I-It's fine." She assured quickly. "I know you aren't going to hurt… much. It's training after all."

Indeed. She knows us very well.

_**Hoitsu. She knows Hoitsu very well.**_

...Indeed.

Kunou assumed a defensive position and we moved for a quick flurry of kicks, our legs moving at the same speed, if not lower, than the one the girl had used for her attacks. Her capacity to defend herself shone true in that situation as she managed to either deflect the incoming attacks or dodging them with precise accuracy.

We stopped moments later, gauging the full capacity by thinking from that little encounter.

We were going at 10% of our true potential and matching up with Kunou. The girl is just a little off, maybe at 80% of Hoitsu's full power in his base form, thus that means that-

**Your base form is strong a little less than 10 times the full power of Hoitsu. And I can assume about a close 9 times as strong as Vali is in his base stance.**

_**Absurd but… totally amazing.**_

'**It would be good to have further experiments about this situation but… I don't think we can with how strong it is. Without someone as strong if not stronger than him right now, it wouldn't work at all.**'

That's right. But I think I will stop for now.

I eased my composure and so did the kitsune, allowing another quick session of headpatting. "Thank you, Kunou-chan." We praised, to which the girl mustered a pretty big smile.

Adorable.

"Still, we think we should be saying what's our name." We smiled brightly and then we spoke. "Our name is **Votsu**, but we can settle for **Vox **too." We finally said with a strong voice and-

"Pfft- laaame." Bikou said with a dull tone. "Seriously, is that the best you go-" He couldn't finish that sentence as we appeared in a blur in front of him. He jumped and let out a _manly _yelp as he fell on his butt at our sudden teleportation.

"Hmph- Lame." We replied curtly much to his growing scowl and just as we was about to turn back to look at Kunou, we heard footsteps approaching from the hallway and we glanced to find…

A wide-eyed Akeno, her jaws dropping and her eyes staring right at… the abs that were visible through the dark shirt. She was holding a small tray filled with snacks and… yep, she was ogling at us.

We blinked and we knew that now we would have to explain this to her without getting in any uncomfortable situation. Because while **Hoitsu** was in love with this lovely lady, **Vali** was more than happy to stay away from those honeyed scenes.

Seriously, what a troublesome life did **Hoitsu **have.

* * *

**AN**

**Fu-sion-AH!**

**The power of the two morons is a Squared Moron. **

**And Yes, I did intentionally leave something about a flashback story about Vali and Hoitsu in the earlier bits of the second segment and also yes, I did brainstorm in trying to get a proper name with meaningful significance with the fusion of the two names… but it was too big of an effort and I went with this one.**

**Some memes, some preparation and… I think some Omake coming soon. It will be amazing!**

_**Future milestone 1: 1000 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Na2s****: He is not going to make an impacting appearance in the main plot, he will have his unique story. But he will have a big role in the grand finale.**

**SML Stevhmaklie****: Yep.**

**Guest-Questioner****: Tarasu is the MC from the Broken Trickster DXD Timeline, he had been appearing for a while in a few chapters in the past. The 'gruesome' timeline.**


	76. What's behind the Man who Cackles

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 74: What's behind the Man who Cackles**

* * *

Akua was quite confused about what was going on with Akeno.

The vampire had just arrived with her sister to Hoitsu's home, nodding quietly at the young human blonde that was Asia Argento, the girl alternating her work from the kitchen to the living room, and proceeding to seek out the training ground of the house.

The others were there too, even the deplorable Yujiro Hanma was giddily walking around the room and challenging people around. Nobody was in clear chance of dying with the Ogre, the man still far too weak to keep up with most of the members of the Omega Initiative, yet Baki was always lurking around to make sure his father wouldn't have caused any major issues.

Issa had refused to come by, citing the fact he had some paperwork that required his utmost attention. Papers regarding their estate and the politics of the Vampires society, things that hardly caught Akua's interest and most of the time were delegated to other people serving the Shuzen family.

Yet what had truly caught the Black Deva's attention was the mortified state she had found the Himejima girl. Akeno had accepted a lap pillow by a sheepish-looking Kuroka, her hands pressing on her face as she tried to hide the full blush displayed on her features.

Something had gotten her embarrassed, that was something the ravenette could see perfectly by herself, but the reason behind this reaction was… more difficult to grasp upon. The individual was sporting refined abs and, even though it wasn't Hoitsu, it wouldn't be wrong to deem them as if chiseled from stone itself.

Yet it was the Nekoshou's following comment at her blunt assertion of this that got some blush out of the vampire herself.

"The abs can be of both, but I reckon that the butt is Hoitsu's." The Yokai admitted shamelessly and loud enough for the strangely-dressed being to appear flustered for just a moment during his sparring.

Admittedly, the former assassin had been surprised herself when she learned about the Fusion technique, an ability capable of uniting two beings in a single one, multiplying their full powers to an astonishing degree.

Votsu, or Vox, felt weird through her Magical detection ability, her eyes widening for a whole when she felt both Hoitsu and Vali mixed as one with a major source of raw energy within them. The final result was also intriguing from the way he behaved and acted around the people.

He was very conscious of his sudden extremely high power, but he seemed to keep a curious politeness about himself. Only his interactions with Ophis, Lith, Kuroka and Kunou seemed to show a higher degree of warmth and informality, yet it was still lesser than how Hoitsu usually behaved around the four girls. His energy flux was absurdly stable, something incredibly impossible for someone with so much dense mana inside of them.

Yet Vox existed to prove this legitimate rule wrong and he seemed more than happy to let people stare at him as he took as many challengers as possible. Many asked eagerly, the Hanmas being a prime case, but it was the Red Dragon Emperor that was allowed to fight him first.

Issei had tried himself, the brunet actually bringing out some particularly interesting potential to the table as his **Boost** was harmonized with his high magical-spending in powerful attacks and self-improvements.

It was a decent display from the human, his flexibility with his Sacred Gear quite noteworthy in her opinion, yet she was quick to find his fighting style to be crass and insufficiently explored as he tended to repeat the same 'combos'.

A classic mistake from many early trainees as they tried to integrate some flimsy videogame move in their style. Very disappointing in a normal situation, but in this case she had to admit the presence of recurring attacks wasn't as frequent as she had initially expected.

Soon after Issei, the boy being brought to exhaustion after an intense ten minutes of fighting, it was the combined efforts of both Arthur Pendragon, Bikou and Xenovia.

While the first two had been teammates for some time, the presence of the blue-haired girl actually brought them some synergy as they coordinated precise attacks with their melee weapons.

The blond was an excellent swordsman, keeping up with precise pacing with both Caliburn and Ruler. Both Holy Swords showing quite their immense power with their quick but strong strikes, something that Vox dealt it by merely dodging through the attacks and unbalance the young man.

The tactic was mostly rendered useless when Xenovia decided to intervene and create some distractions for their common enemy. Her swings were wilder, bolder, as the Fusion was forced to give some focus onto the girl, just enough for her teammate to recover.

Bikou's golden staff was a good instrument of distancing, forcing their opponent to get pushed away if things turned far too spicy and it was proven by how he helped the former exorcist in dodging one of Vox's attacks.

"You are being rude with your sword," Arthur pointed out to the girl. "It feels like you aren't sure of what you are holding."

Akua had blinked at that blunt comment, having heard of sword-wielders getting irritated by this kind of statements as it undermined their 'progress'. Yet Xenovia merely smiled and nodded.

"Durandal and I… we aren't meant to be," She admitted without hesitation, sighing as she resumed her attacks with the blond. "But I think I'm close to understand what truly it is. I want to befriend it." Her proclamation caused the Pendragon to smile.

"Truly a worthy reason to train, Sir Xenovia," The young man admired with a tiny smirk. "And I hope you reach clarity the soonest possible." He praised with some minor interest.

They both rushed to the assault once again, the Fusion blinking in surprise as something seemed to be causing him some confusion. It wasn't something from the fight, but rather something happening from… within?

There was just a brief moment and then… a blinding light erupted from him.

To the eyes of many, it would have looked as a sudden power-up. Yet Akua could feel what was going on by his magic.

It simmered to a lower level, the source splitting in two familiar ones as both Vali and Hoitsu reappeared instead of Vox.

Both young men appeared fairly winded, but far from truly be tired.

The human smiled widely and nodded at the silver-haired hybrid. "Seems like the time limit got us in a pickle," He remarked as he gestured at the approaching opponents.

The Lucifer snorted as he rushed to the offensive, eyes fixed on a partially-surprised Bikou.

"Wha-" The Monkey had little time to ask as the Balance-Breaker form of Vali pushed him away with a minor roar.

"**This is for the annoyance you caused me half an hour ago, Bikou,**" The Host of the Vanishing Dragon stated calmly. "**I think it's time to remind you who is your leader, jester.**"

With the two engaging in a 1v1, Hoitsu was left to deal with both Arthur and Xenovia. Instead of going with his usual fighting style which would have easily guaranteed his victory against the sword-wielding duo… he decided to do something completely unexpected.

Caliburn and Durandal were deflected away for a brief moment as a white-colored magic-saber appeared in the young man's hold. The boy was smirking as he engaged in some intensely-paced engagement of blurred strikes and guards, the trio causing sparks with the blades encountering and clashing one against the others.

Arthur was initially the one dominating with his dual-wielding, yet the lack of space he had while fighting with the fusion was enough of a concern to have him switch to only using Caliburn.

Xenovia's determination and vigor kept her from backing away from the challenge, yet the surprising capacity to keep up with the inhuman speed of both teammate and opponent was enough to have Akua to study the blue-haired girl.

She was breathing tiredly, the stress piling up on her body as the pressure wasn't decreasing at all, quite the opposite. But the girl wasn't done yet, far from it.

Roaring determinedly, the former exorcist went for another swing and-

**Clink!**

The light-saber went flying deflected by the correct swinging, Xenovia preparing for one last attack to achieve… victory?

Hoitsu wasn't sporting any wounds, while both Arthur and his teammate were sporting some small bruises. The strength exercised by their common enemy more than enough to leave some signs on their skin.

Yet, while a fight would generally require someone to be brought to a state of defeat, their brawl had taken a more chivalrous connotation and thus this indeed felt like the last moment of their spar.

The duo were ready to conclude this in their victory… but Hoitsu wasn't looking prepared to accept the loss. Quite the contrary.

From his hands another flash of light condensed in… something invisible.

Durandal clashed in the strange weapon and _it was pushed away with ease._

Arthur rushed with both his swords out and tried to out-power with a clash the new blade, but soon even his assault was repelled by this strange instrument.

There was incredibly-dense magic hiding its true form, so it was difficult to discern even without the detection ability what kind of weapon it was.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Hoitsu commented while staring at the invisible blade. "This one is actually your final test to see how much you have grown, Xenovia." He stated while looking at the aforementioned girl.

The human looked shocked by this news and her interest over this unexpected development increased visibly from her expression directed at the unknown object.

"Sir Hoitsu, what is that?" Arthur asked politely but still surprised by the situation. "I feel it's familiar, but I can't… think of why."

The Japanese boy grinned. "That's because your bloodline is partly tied to it, Pendragon-san," Hoitsu admitted quietly. "But the connection isn't with this dimension's Pendragons, rather from a completely different universe."

There was a pause and… Xenovia voiced the confusion of everyone in a single question. "What?"

He sighed. "This blade is labeled a Divine Phantasm, a unique title bestowed for the immense role it had behind its creation," The young man explained calmly. "Born by the powers of multiple Gods, this blade was the only mean to counter an attack beyond Earth itself."

"Aliens?" Issei commented by the stands. "Senpai, are you sure that you didn't get tricked by-"

"This is the real deal, Ise." He stated back with a frown, causing the brunet to go quiet. "And yes, it was an alien that could have easily destroyed the entire planet… if not for this particular **sword**."

A sword? Akua blinked as she tried to see through the mist created by the magic and… she could see some lines forming that kind of blade. It looked elegant, it looked powerful.

"It's better known by another title," Hoitsu continued, his smile widening. "**The Sword of Promised Victory**."

Arthur's eyes widened and… he looked perplexed. "If I understand what you are talking about, this isn't… the one that is-"

"No," The brunet answered quickly and without hesitation. "Differently from this dimension's sword, this one is way more complicated and… somewhat more of a meritocratic blade rather than a dynastic one."

The Pendragon nodded slowly and Hoitsu gestured Xenovia to approach.

The girl was still tense, her guard still up but indeed complied with the request and she stood in front of the young man.

"Do you remember how I told you that there was a reason behind the social lesson?" He said with a cautious tone. "Do you think you can tell me which one it is?"

The question came out quite suddenly and, truth be told, Akua was mostly unaware of what he was referring to. She knew that the blue-haired human had been assigned to improve her capacity to speak with people and… be a normal human.

Quite understandable as the vampire knew very well of the strict life some exorcists were put even at an early age.

Xenovia blinked surprised, feeling a little floored by the unexpected query, yet she didn't back away from the request and searched down deep herself. The last few weeks had been… amazing.

She would have given a lesser adjective, yet the girl never felt this much important to someone that wasn't part of the church. Friends, trustworthy people and Gasper. It was surprising to say but… why it felt like she couldn't ever part away with them.

So essential to her, like water and air. So precious like the purest gold and diamond.

Her smile was a confident one.

"Back some time before coming to Japan, my life has been devoted to the Greater Good, the duty of the Lord that He had imposed to me to respect and go through with rightful mind and soul," The girl said determinedly. "There was something… empty about it. I still love the Lord and I pray for him even though He is no longer alive. The love He can bestow can appear weak because given to His children without favoritism."

She sighed heavily and continued. "But I think that… humans can be selfish for love," Her tone started quiet, her smile fading a little. "We need love, we want love and we can't let go of it. When we hold it, we can't just give it up without a fight."

Xenovia grinned happily and nodded. "Yes, I want to fight for the love I gained and for those that are truly worth fighting for." She declared unabashed and Hoitsu nodded back at her.

"And how far would you go for it," He said with a little sad tone. "Would you turn in a selfish woman for her selflessness?"

There was a pause, some hesitation now playing in the girl's feature as she thought about it and… Hoitsu went to put his free hand on the top of her head. Xenovia blinked in surprise but she stopped by his kind smile.

"You are a good person, Xenovia," He said with a content tone. "You are growing to be someone that I will be baffled to stare at, someone that will make the world a better place than now."

Then his smile dropped once again, an uneasy one appearing on its stead. "Yet this isn't a gift."

She blinked in surprise at the correction, but she kept quiet.

"This is a responsibility above and beyond Gods. This is a duty that you will have for humanity as a whole rather than a faction to another. You will represent the weak and the frail, you will represent the needy and the truest."

The girl's hand was now on the pommel atop the hilt, eyes widening at being handed the sword itself.

Yet Hoitsu wasn't done yet.

Another light happened, this time from his chest as a well-decorated scabbard appeared on his hold. Xenovia prepared to get the sheath too but… the young man hesitated.

"Once you pick this up, once you take in Avalon, you will stop to be a human being," He stated solemnly, causing many to look shocked at the statement. "You will ascend to something akin to an Angel, but you will not act upon a deity. You will act upon truth and justice."

The following pause was even longer than the previous one, for good reasons too. Abandoning mortality wasn't an easy decision and the responsibility forwarded with the change could easily turn to be in a punishment rather than an honor to be proud to wear.

Yet the girl didn't seem to show too much doubt about her decision and she nodded.

"I accept the burden," Xenovia promised. "For the sake of those I care for, for the sake of the people that needs help."

Hoitsu sighed and smiled. "Good."

The scabbard was pressed on her chest and soon it entered in her magical core. Her eyes widened as her entire system was broadened, expanded and rendered stronger, more efficient to manage.

It was a painless process, yet the invasive tones of the process did certainly leave some uneasy expression on the blue-haired girl's face.

She blinked as she took a proper hold of the sword and… it disappeared much to everyone's surprise. "So that's what it's name." The girl mused with a surprised expression before turning once more to Hoitsu. "Then that means that, the reason why Durandal worked partly is-"

"Because it wasn't the complete set," He finished for her with a nod. "Congratulations, Xenovia."

* * *

Lilith was perplexed by the scene she was currently looking at.

Lying on a pool of his own blood, Rizevim managed to let out a broken cackle from his bloodied grinning face. The cause of this attack being the enraged redhead standing atop of him, ready to deliver another punch on the downed silver-haired man.

Sapphire looked quite angry, possibly the angriest the mother had ever seen her daughter turn out to be. There was so much hate, so much of her raw energy mustered for the sake of maiming her brother, the oldest of Lucifer's children looking far too elated by the prospect of being hurt this much. To this degree.

There had been brawls between the two in the past, but there had been always either Wilbert or Lucifer himself to step up to rein the situation down. It was an unpleasant recurring event that would leave the two tired and moody for several days.

Yet this time the usual mediators weren't there to make sure that things reached… this level of violence. With Rizevim being the verbal abuser and Sapphire getting enraged at the crass words leaving his mouth.

It wasn't something new how it started, but it was incredibly painful to see how it had degenerated to this gruesome situation.

"_Enough._" The woman ordered with a cold tone at the berserk Sapphire. Her own magic flared and soon the pressure in the room increased even more than before.

The young woman tensed and stopped mid-action, her eyes shooting up to give a wide-eyed stare at her mother. "M-Mom-"

"Sapphire, you are going too far," The widow of Lucifer said sternly, eyes narrowed at her child. "Let him go."

Rizevim chuckled at that, but he didn't deign to grace them with some wrongly-timed response to the situation. A minor win.

"He said that Azrael got Raphaeline- but that isn't possible! She is in Heaven and-" The younger redhead froze as her mother's stare softened in a sad one.

"No." She shook her head. "It can't be true. Mom, tell me that Michael-"

It was always the cruel duty of a parent, the one of having to tell the worst of truths to their own children. To reveal the harshness of the world and the deplorable state of things.

Even after so many centuries spent trying to get the ropes of the job, having reached a comfortable mastery over the subject was hardly putting her in a good situation for what she had to say to her hopeful daughter.

"When Azrael escaped Heaven, he broke into the special containment chambers with the Proto-Angels." The older woman admitted with a sigh. "Only one survived the destruction happening in that room and she was spotted aiding him during the fight for the conquest of the Takamagahara."

"S-She has to have been hypnotized-"

Rizevim wheezed in amusement, blood trailing even now from his lips.

"You are kidding, sis?" He asked with a simple sigh. "And I thought that dad had been fairly clear in saying that _angels can't be mind-controlled._ It's like the number one rule of the Great War-"

"Quiet, you insufferable ba-"

"Enough, Sapphire," Lilith butted in with a sigh. "He is baiting you… and he is correct, Raphaeline still has Angelic blood in her veins, she can't be controlled by Magic if not by Michael himself-"

"But she could have been manipulated." The bleeding man interrupted giddily. "Think of it, sis. Azrael wasn't certainly well-known for his traitorous ways, only as an outcast."

Sapphire bore her glare onto the smiling silver-haired shitlord and… sighed at the lack of any faux tones in his body. "You think-"

"No, sister," He shook his head quickly. "I don't _think_, I know. There is a difference and that is that I know how dad is going to fail his attempt."

…

"What?" Lilith asked in minor surprise, lifting a little her son from the ground.

"Dad might have appeared flawless in his long life, but he did have his moments of doubt," Rizevim explained with a sigh. "He could have been a big bad deity-level jerk, but he knew that his ways could have been wrong all along. That he could have messed up."

He huffed. "That is why he would always set up some emergency systems to stop himself from doing some shit of the world-end kind."

"You mean some measures to stop himself in case he went mad?" Lilith found herself genuinely interested in her child's knowledge.

A journal had been mentioned, something that the woman had known only the existence of and had never been able to find after her husband's passing. It had been an infuriating thought back then as she felt that some secret to truly defeat the paperwork was hidden in there and…

_That moron of her lover had just decided to let her lovely and gorgeous wife to suffer through paper and ink._

_**What a shameful thought!**_

"He was mad," Rizevim pointed out with a sure tone. "We both were. That is why we both countered each other so well."

The man blinked, his smile fading a little because of the following words. "There was never a problem that could be solved _without Lucifer,_" He pointed out. "Every mistake, any issue, it was all solved when Lucifer was there. If he wasn't around? People would end up either suffering or surviving more."

"What about Wilbert-"

"He had the journal, my dear sister," Rizevim interjected without hesitation, his tone turning. "He knew what was going on. He knew of the resets and about the fate that the universe was going to suffer without someone truly intervening."

This… this couldn't be the truth. Wilbert had always been a sweetheart and, while he did chase his father's polite manners and impeccable reputation, he wouldn't have never tried to go that far the secret plot developed by her husband.

And yet, why would her eldest son lie about it? He could have easily and blatantly said that he had murdered him for the sake of murdering but…

He went for that reasoning and… it was hurting her.

"Wilbert was the one to give you the journal-"

"Only after he went through some grieving and guilt-tripping," Rizevim snorted tiredly. "He would have taken these secret to his grave and beyond, just for the sake of getting praised by daddy dearest."

"You are lying!" Sapphire screamed at the recovering Super-Devil. "Wilbert would have never followed through with this-"

"And yet he did," Her brother said so decisively. "He had the journal for about 127594 of the unfolding timelines and he didn't do nothing… other than now."

There was silence, Lilith needed the quiet to think about this very possibility. Her sweet boy, a puppet to her husband's whims? Why didn't it sound wrong now that she connected the various times Lucifer would have Wilbert around for some secret projects they were developing?

And why her son would deny such thing after his father had been killed?

So much doubt and hesitation, yet Rizevim looked the calmest of the three.

"By the way, mom," The aforementioned devil mused out-loud. "When you kill me, can you please keep Euclid around?"

The woman tensed up at the seemingly harmless request… pointing out how she had been indeed planning to kill her son. Was it also reported in the journal?

"He is a good pe-_minion_," The man continued, ignoring the tense looks from his mother and the confused ones from his siter. "He might be a whiner because of his deep 'love' for her Maid-sister, so please mind his fetishes and kinks, but he is a clean chap. A smart one too."

"Rizevim-"

"Don't say anything, mom." The man butted in quickly. "I know that it would be the right thing to do and… why not?" He asked quirkily. "I mean, I can go and find where pops is hiding and haunt the fuck out of him. I would be a spookier bastard than Seannaners is in Hidden."

...What?

He cackled again. "Ah! The fun fellow, if only he could post some more, I need the material from his Hidden videos."

In that very moment, Lilith realized that the serious topic had indeed fallen to something more confusing, lighter and terribly difficult to grasp.

She sighed and proceeded to help the chatty man back to the couch, ready to administer some medicines without anesthesia. Some pain would surely fix him back up and…

_**Yet her mind couldn't stop but think that maybe, just maybe, there was something that had pushed her husband to abide to this horrible plan of his.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Xenovia-Artoria is here, Rizevim has plans and yes, I did publish a new story about RWBY. This one is actually yanking the gloomy plot away and putting on a comedy… about a MC and a clingy and unlucky kitten (no, it ain't a pairing).**

**And that's it. I'm sleepyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~**

**Omake's tomorrow.**

_**Future milestone 1: 1000 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Reishin Amara****: I don't think Sairaorg would be compatible with Sirzechs 'cause of the Power of Destruction. I think his body has a deficiency that deprived him of the chance of using it and… the resulting fusion, if possible, would kill both in the final result. Still, a good idea.**

**Victorsan12345****: She did realize~**  
**The fusion isn't going to be a constant, but rather a last ditch effort because of the hefty requirements. And yes, Cao Cao's death is going to be quite 'sad'.**


	77. Non-Canon 1: Oddly Uneven

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Non-Canon Chapter 1: Oddly Uneven**

* * *

**Series: Hazbin Hotel**

Lilith stared quietly at the heated exchange she was watching unfolding before her.

A quiet huff, her eyes blinking dully at the fight both her husband and daughter were having over the girl's intriguing idea about a less painful way to 'clean-up' the limited realm of Hell itself from some of its inhabitants.

A hotel to redeem the sinners? She could remember when that curious poet, that polite man that was Dante Alighieri, had commented about something similar. He had been cautious, yet very eager to mention the existence of a third kingdom, a middle ground between Hell and Heaven, to properly offer redemption to the few sinners that had done the least dangerous of crimes.

An idea that had stuck to her for a long time and that she had unwittingly mentioned to her lovely daughter. Charlo-no, _Charlie_ was a curious and innocent girl, strong and fiery too, but she was ultimately terribly naive and easy to influence by the fleeting ideas of bringing reformation to a reign of suffering and penance.

She had grown a sheltered childhood thanks to the combined efforts of both Lucifer and Lilith, yet the princess had been aware of what was going on outside the safe walls of their castle because of the paperwork her father was keen to whine about. When Charlie finally reached her adulthood, she was finally granted a first-hand experience of the cruel and unfair life of those that lived outside the former Angel's court and that had ended up fueling a stirring idealism within the girl.

A chance to deter the determined child pushed by Lilith's lover only ended up getting the girl in a fit, showing rebelliousness and denial at the fact that the task was… quite difficult, if not impossible, for her to reach out for.

Yet Lilith had to admit that when she had arrived to the Hotel with her husband, she had expected the girl to be in shambles. It wouldn't have been totally unexpected for the failure to appear even before their visit, and yet her baby girl had done well until now.

There was a delightful cast of people, the one she was mostly aware of were the current girlfriend of her daughter, Vaggie having already introduced herself during one of the past feasts by Lucifer's humongous home, yet the presence of both Angel Dust and Alastor, the so-called Radio Demon, was enough to make her stand surprised at what she had found out from this surprise visit.

It would have been a visit of courtesy too… but her lovely husband had to go out of his way to criticize the threatening aspect of having a deal-maker as Alastor in her hotel to… 'help her'.

It wasn't difficult to perceive the true reasons behind the deer-like demon as he didn't even bother sporting a lying facade or even deny the fact he wasn't here to truly help. But what truly got her floored just for a moment… was the fact that Charlie had indeed _not formed a deal with him._

Surprising, quite relieving and a reason to be proud of her baby girl.

The younger blonde was more than happy to take the appreciative compliments from her mother, but her attention was mostly taken by the negative sentences coming from her dad.

Lucifer wasn't usually this brutally honest, especially around Charlie, and it had been an unpleasant development when he came hard with his task of closing the establishment without second thoughts, even forcefully if the situation required it.

Their daughter was, of course, unwilling to accept the stubborn decision and what followed next was…

Quite explosive.

Most of the inhabitants of the Hotel, even the 'ever-so powerful' Radio Demon, had decided to leave the premises of the room that had been turned in a battlefield. Both father and daughter were exchanging yells and physical attacks, neither of the two willing to show weakness to the other.

It had been amusing at first, Lilith was guiltily aware of it, but after a full two hours of intense brawling, even her blood-lust had simmered down. In fact, she had even gone to get herself some tea as she continued to watch over the seemingly-endless battle.

The Queen remembered of the times when Charlie would 'play rough' with her dad, but in those occasions it had been a simple hit or two, never an escalation of this magnitude.

The woman sighed as she took another sip from her cup, the relaxing beverage failing to get her nerves to cease in their annoyance over the matter, the vibrations echoing through the walls of the damaged room now resembling an earth-quake.

Should she have stopped them by now? That was a question Lilith was unable to properly respond as she felt uneasy at the fact she had to pick one of the two. If it had been a normal dispute of words, Lilith would have been more than happier to side by Charlie's points, the girl always bringing up some thoughtful explanations that did have some solid bases on them.

Yet now that the situation had grown to this kind of violence, it was non-negligible the fact that she couldn't truly join either of the two opposite sides without enraging and hurting the other.

It was so difficult to see both precious members of her family going for this painful predicament and… her mind couldn't help but wander at the curious event that had happened just a few years after being sent to Hell with her lover.

So much time had passed since that specific situation, yet she could remember vividly when Lucifer had tried to create some portals to leave the empty wastelands that once were the founding grounds for his kingdom.

Tentative experiments proved to either create explosions or bring inside the Pentagram some bizarre creatures. Nothing that could prove a danger to her husband, but still enough to push him to pursue more and more the opportunity to have them both leave the exile God had enforced on them.

It had been during one of these experiments that the unexpected happened and… some hope was granted to them in the form of another Lucifer, another Lilith… and children. The alternative couple's.

It had been surprising, yet her mind had exploded in giddiness at seeing that there was a good chance to produce an offspring despite her and her spouse's partially-different biology.

And she could remember holding that quirky troublemaker that was ickle Rizevim. The silver-haired boy had squeaked in adorable surprise at being coddled by the 'pretty lady' and she had giggled in amusement when her other self had kindly enough pointed out where the child's ticklish spot were.

Beautiful times, an experience that happened numerous times before Charlie was born and… then God discovered their play. His power denied them the chance of opening the portals after several visits and thus the means to spend their boredom away was deprived without mercy.

Yet, just as the other Lucifer had said, Hell would have become grand and their own prosperous fief. It took them some centuries but… a true Kingdom of Hell was born from their hard-work.

Sinners were given some minor reprieve in the towns resembling much of their past homes and soon a dysfunctional community of prostitutes, murderers and other dangerous fiends was born. A lovely family indeed.

And when Charlie was born, a cute little baby that had lifted their spirits even more, they were given a proper confirmation to their hopes and of their close familial group with much needed joy and childish wonder.

Then her childhood made way to her teenagehood and finally to adulthood.

The noise of a plate that had miraculously survived the onslaught crashing in the wall near the couch she was using was enough to bring Lilith out of memory lane and back to the real world.

She blinked, annoyance finally catching up to her tiring mind and she decided to try something quite… risky.

It was a known fact that God wasn't good in keeping up with the enforcement of rules he had dictated centuries early, especially now that his influence was half of what he once used to represent.

The 'ban' had to have been lifted to keep up with the draining costs of keeping Heaven safe and thus… Lilith decided to call in someone that could have truly helped with this situation.

The other Lucifer had shown to be a savvy family-man, managing to deal with the worst habits of little Rizevim while keeping a peaceful but genuinely happy appearance.

Surely he would know how to deal with this family debacle.

A small seal was formed and she pushed almost a quarter of her magical reserves on the irritating thing before _someone did answer to her call._

The portal opened and her glee turned in confusion, her eyes widening as, instead of the white-haired human-looking Lucifer, someone much younger and… human passed through.

The young man tripped on the portal and landed face-first on the mugged floor with a soft but loud-enough **thud**.

* * *

I admit I should have expected that something weird today would have happened.

I could still remember waking up to a strange sense of… forewarning. I felt somewhat worried, concerned about something that was going to happen very soon and that had left me with a guarded and cautious stance for the whole school day.

Kunou had been concerned herself, but the cause of it was my very strange attitude. The others had noticed too and voiced their own confusion and interest over my paranoia and why it was feeling this strong that very day.

I was clueless and I was incredibly pissed by the fact that nothing warranting this situation wasn't happening. No immediate danger, no sudden attack against me, nor anything that could have had me panic at the presence of someone.

Everything was going fine for me during the lessons, during the breaks and even after I started to walk out of the premises of the school. Nothing worthy of this much uneasiness from my brain.

I was irritated by the lack of explanation behind this strange need to brace myself for something horrible, my mind trying to find 'reasons' where there was none. I took a few slow-paced breaths as I turned the corner of one of the empty streets I had taken, my heightened senses catching nothing that could have been considered harmful against me and… then I slipped through an open portal.

It had been unexpected and the window of action had been terribly conditioned by the distracted mind I had in that exact moment. My face protested quietly as it slammed merrily on some carpet, a groan muffled by the rug left my lips before I started to slowly get up from the floor as my ears caught the distinct sounds of fighting happening nearby.

I blinked as I saw two blurry figures exchanging some mad beating against each other and yelling at each other. They were speaking in… English? Really?

_**I feel like this place looks familiar.**_

_Today isn't just my day._

'**What a curious development.**'

And while I continued to fail to understand what was going on where I had just landed, I heard someone coughing by… a couch? The woman had long blond hair, a dark-crown atop her head as… _two large and curved red horns developed._

She was wearing a long, sleeveless dark-purple dress and… she wasn't human. Her energy was akin to a Devil's but… it was also denser, purer and quite powerful.

As my mind ended with this analysis, I noticed that the lady was gesturing me to approach her, seemingly unfazed by the ongoing battle breaking through the whole room. I frowned at the silent request but… it wasn't like I couldn't just defend myself in case of a trap.

I slowly walked towards her and… she patted the seat beside hers in the furniture and I obliged by taking refuge there. She blinked and she finally started to speak. "I suppose that this isn't certainly something that can be explained easily but… there is a context to what is going on."

_**I mean, we did suffer through crazier stuff, I think we can allow some proper contextualization before trying to get out of here.**_

I blinked again, slowly nodding and letting her continue with the explanation.

"But first, I've to ask you something," She admitted with an elegant but polite tone. "The spell I used was meant to bring 'Lucifer' to this realm. And you-"

"The portal worked… partly," I interjected with a small flinch at the mentioning of the long-deceased figure. "I can be considered 'Lucifer'."

She lifted a curious eyebrow at that and slightly tilted her head by the side. "Truly? I knew Lucifer and-"

"There is also a context," I interrupted one last time. "Just like there is a reason as to why they are killing each other over there." I pointed at the similar-looking duo, one was a male and the other female, both with blond hair and with a skin paler than a normal vampire.

The woman nodded in agreement. "I suppose it is something a little 'bigger' than what is happening right now," She mused quietly. "But still, since you are here, maybe you can offer me some… assistance with those two."

"Assistance?" I parroted in confusion. "You mean like getting them to stop to fight or-"

"That," The blonde jumped in with a sly smile. "And possibly offering a fresh perspective over the dilemma that caused all of this."

There was a slight pause at that and I found myself staring at the two angry individuals and…

Why they seem this close to murder each other out?

_**Could they be related? This does seem like a… family spat more than else.**_

'**Siblings? Cousins? Maybe even father and daughter?**'

I sighed and nodded at the lady, standing up from my seat and tensing my body up.

I breathed in and… **then out.**

The sudden eruption of energy caused by my Senjutsu mode was enough to make the room shake with renewed trembling, the pressure far greater than the one caused by the two fighting and… both individuals stopped.

The girl blinked in shock, her demonic features receding back to a more humane-looking appearance. She looked like a… mime?

Meanwhile the man looked irritated at best, his eyes narrowed at me and staring with some curiosity. I blinked back at him as I felt surprise rising from my chest at the fact that… his energy was similar to mine.

Before I could even do something about this development, I found myself almost tackled down by the very girl that had been fighting with the _familiar _figure. The sudden action took me out of my Senjutsu mode and I had my entire attention redirected back to the new 'issue'.

The young blonde squealed, her face adopting one of the cutest expressions of giddiness I had ever seen someone muster up. It was some serious competition for Kunou if I have to be honest.

_**She does look quite adorable.**_

"Oh my Gosh!" She finally exclaimed, hands straddling at my Kuoh Academy's uniform as she jumped quickly up-and-down. "A new client!" She said with rising… hope?

_What?_

"Actually-" I tried to reply back to that mistake but the woman that I had just finished to talk with decided to be the one to break the news to the amusing girl.

"Charlie dear, he isn't a client," The older blonde commented smoothly. "He is here to help us reach a peaceful agreement without any further fights," She said kindly before turning her attention to the approaching still-smiling man. "And that extends to you too, love."

The blond snorted at the order but complied to it as he came closer and… gave me an intense stare.

"Ya know," He said with an interested look. "I can feel you are a human… but you have also demonic energy in you?"

The gi- _Charlie_'s eyes widened at the comment and she stared at me in utter shock. "You are a human? Like a… real one?" She asked quietly, taking an extra step forward to look right in my eyes.

Seriously, who gave her two gallons of pure sugar?

I frowned and then nodded at her queston "I am. Kinda." I admitted before facing back the woman. "And I think we have something to… debate about?"

"That's correct," The lady admitted and, before she could continue, the blonde stopped and gave a… slightly-embarrassed look. "I think I forgot my manners… I'm Lilith, and those two are my daughter, Charlotte, and my stubborn husband, Lucifer."

My smile froze and died at hearing the last name, a wide-eyed look snapping right at the smiling pale man. "W-What?" I blurted in shock and in response _Lucifer frowned._

_**WAIT WHAT?!**_

"What? Are you perhaps afraid, boy?" The Ruler of Hell replied with an amused tone. "Worry not. I ain't biting until I see some 'delicious' steak in front of me." He clicked his sharp teeth and I felt panic rising even more from before.

"Dear, can you not disturb our guest and-" She stopped to stare at me with a confused look. "And I thought you were also Lu-"

"I said there is some 'context' but-"

Charlie butted in with a single cough. "Okay, what is going on here?"

I sighed as I found their collective stare on me and… peer pressure did quite the trick.

We were sitting by the couches, another had been created in front of the already-existing one and I began explaining about the… loops and the Duality behind my identity and Lucifer's. I had partly expected one of them to ask for further details, but they decided to merely listen in silence as I went through with my summarized response.

I ended with a sigh, my stare directed at the floor and… Lilith patted my back in an attempt to bring some comfort. "That sounded like you had the most difficult of burden, young man," The woman admitted, gaining a nod from her husband and… Charlie blinked in awe at the tale.

"You mean to tell me that… you are kind of dad _but also not_?"

I stared up at her question with a frown before having both my cheeks cupped by her hands. She was humming as she looked closely at my blushing face, her own sporting some red at the sudden closeness.

Then the girl let go and smiled. "That means you can tell me if my idea can work or not."

Without hesitation, I was given some paper with words and drawing on it, describing Charlie's plan of… creating some 'Happy Hotel' with the function of Purgatory. I mean, with the depiction of some evil 'Angelic' monsters ripping apart souls on a yearly basis, I could see it as something noteworthy but…

Why there were drawings with crayons?

_...Is this the real issue behind the fight?_

_**Probably.**_

_This is… insane._

_**I think we are beyond that degree of madness, but yes.**_

Lucifer snorted at the words coming from his daughter's mouth. "Surely, you have to concur it would be foolish to try something this silly and-"

"It _can_ actually work," I interjected with some hesitation, flinching a little at her confused scowl. "I mean, I know that Heaven was trying something like that to get… more followers to the Church. I know that sinners can be redeemed under the word of God or Michael."

Charlie's eyes glowed in sudden hope. "That means you believe it?"

I blinked. "Mostly," I said quietly, causing her expression to freeze in surprise at the mild-response. "While the outline is good, I don't think there has been some proper thinking about the 'means' to reach the redemption."

She frowned, ready to reply back to it and… she stopped, a little pout on her face. "I mean, _how much can it be difficult?_"

"**Impossibly so, darling.**" A new voice called out by the door.

We all turned to see… a smiling deer-man?

He was wearing a dark red pinstriped coat along with burgundy dress pants. His skin was gray and his eyes were entirely red (both irises and scleras) with the only exception being the black pupils.

He started to slowly walk towards us and my attention diverted for a moment as I saw some other heads peeking from the now open door.

The first one I saw was a single yellow-black eye and a pink x where the girl's left eye was supposed to be, her narrowed look showing some_ irritation_ at my presence, yet there wasn't much anger about it. The next one looked to be some… cat-like furry man? He had long red eyebrows, dark scleras and orange eyes, a black top hat sitting between his cat ears. Then was the turn of the smiling fellow that was giving me… a flirty air-kiss- Nope.

I quickly turned to the last one and I was greeted by a cheerful-looking eye of a short female cyclops. She had some well-styled red-hair and seemed to be quite intrigued by what was going on in the room.

"A-Alastor?" Charlie asked out-loud, then realizing of the rest of the group silently peeking at the room. "And the others too?"

"**We were quite worried that our beloved heroine had died against her angsty-filled father.**" The red-themed being replied with its… radio-like tone. "**And yet we see her talking with an interestingly-confusing young man that seem to be undressing everyone with his stare. How shameful!**"

_Wait what?_

"V-Vaggie- there is a reason- he isn't a suit-" The blonde tried to explain but… soon the lone-eyes girl that I had spotted the first among the bunch of odd people waiting by the door stomped inside with a somewhat angry scowl plastered on her face.

I could see her in the fullest, her long pale hair ending just below her knees, she was wearing quite the simple white casual dress with gray details. She was pissed and… she was aiming her fury at me.

I gulped nervously as she approached the couches and…

"Nyah~? Attacking my darling, weren't nyah?" I felt a familiar set of arms wrap behind me and… I could feel her chest too as it pressed on the back of my head.

_Kuroka _smiled threateningly at Vaggie, a quick stand-off emerging from the sudden appearance of the cat-girl and-

Then someone clapped once, drawing the attention back to her.

The red-haired Lilith was smiling brightly as from behind her a large portal had emerged. "To think that we would have found each other again, darling." The widow of _our _Lucifer said with a giggle, causing the same-named woman to giggle in response.

"To think it would have been after so long," The Queen of Hell smiled at the group appearing from the other side of the portal. "And I see you are not alone."

Soon, Akeno and Akua joined Kuroka in the embrace and… the Chibi Army arrived in full-strength.

Kunou led the charge with Lith, Koneko, Ophis and Maria following closely. The three young women made way as I was forcefully tackled in the couch by the battalion of cute and… I had to muster quite the effort to hug them all while also keeping the half-Succubus from touching anything 'that did not need any touching'.

"Niichan!" The kitsune said with some tears coming from her eyes. "I-I thought you have been kidnapped a-and-"

I didn't let her finish as I quickly tightened the hug and snuggled over their heads. "What a bunch of cute worrywarts~." I commented amusingly, causing a collective giggle to be lifted up for everyone to hear.

"So you are not a… suitor?" Vaggie finally asked through the noise and I blinked at her.

"Technically, Charlie and I are… related." I replied flatly, making her a little embarrassed at the assumption.

"O-Oh, I see and I'm so-uh?" The girl had barely enough time to speak that she was pulled in an embrace by her girlfriend, the princess of Hell snuggling her face on the back of her head.

"And you are my cute worrywart." The blonde copied my comment, yet it was effective enough to get a blush and a twitchy smile out of her.

Then the rest of the Hotel's crew joined in and some chatting was spared in what looked to be a particularly pleasant day to spend… with 'family'.

_**Kind of cheesy, but I guess that would do for now.**_

* * *

**AN**

**So… I've tons of stuff to say here.**

**Why Hazbin Hotel? I adore it, I need it and… did I say that I NEED IT~?!**

**But seriously, the reason why I wanted this is… I just felt it works as a non-canonical x-over. Just a hunch and…**

**Also why I will not make any Fanfic out of the single Pilot. I know that the Second Episode will released soon (the trailer even sooner by what the recent upload from VivziePop's channel said) but I can't build a story out of little lore. There is 'some' stuff in the Wikia, but it was also said that most of the lore 'could end up being different than initially planned' and thus I don't want to… mess things up.**

**And yes, I might think of doing something with Helluva Boss, Brandon Rogers being one of my fave fun youtubers and… the rest of the cast is utterly amazing. Everyone (except the sassy brat) are wonderful to listen to and I want to see… EVERYTHING!**

**Lastly, even though I know it will never be seen by any of the group making the two series… Guys, you are all amazing! From arts to dubs, from music to sound, I love y'all and I hope this project will proceed to its planned end. Thank you for your efforts and I pray you all succeed!**

_**Future milestone 1: 1000 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Wacko12****: Resurrection of Lucifer and 'creation' of the New Lucifer with TTL MC and Trihexa. **


	78. Their Legacy

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 75: Their Legacy**

* * *

The vast territory where the Kingdom of Hell existed was incredibly extended and still contained some areas that were still forbidden or even unknown to the knowledge of the most recent maps about the place.

It was the 'dark' equivalent of how stretched the lands on Earth were, thus it was easy to understand how the limited population available in the underworld, most of which were usually living on Earth proper rather than in Hell, would be far too little to properly 'domesticate' the lands that were rightfully theirs.

That and… the aggressive and genuinely powerful wildlife lingering there and giving problems to those few explorers that actually dared the unknown for the sake of wealth and knowledge. The monsters weren't merciful, only pieces of clothes survived the massacres learned by the patrols sent to find the wandering people.

An issue that had been there for centuries now and… that was now being used by Lilith to create the perfect training regiment for both me and Vali. The lands were unforgiving, but the woman was far worse to deal with as she had been fairly serious with her demands.

We had to train for a full week, to improve and to gain experience from fighting with the natural fiends living in the span of several acres of ice and fire. It was a mixed biome that contained the worst kind of mythological animals to ever exist, some even known only by older religions than Christianity itself.

It had been incredibly sudden, the redhead just presenting herself the day after I had fused with Vali. Sporting a wide grin that gave off only giddiness, amusement and an outstanding amount of determination, Lilith was quick to set us 'flying' right where we were supposed to train for seven difficult days.

I protested and so did her 'grandson', but the woman wouldn't care nor listen as she merely went to set up a terribly-powerful barrier all over the region where we had to train for the time given. Of course, our first interest was trying to destroy the barrier and end this stupid and senseless attempt as we had already made sure to create a training schedule for our team, but just as we prepared to blast out of that ridiculous attempt… other people decided to join her up in the formation of the energy-sphere.

Azazel, Baraqiel, and the Four Maous were soon giving out their energy to further increase the power of the barrier, giving me a terrible and panicked sense of understanding about what was happening right now. While the barrier itself, on a visible perspective, was giving me nothing to work with and seemed fairly unique and new, the presence of those individuals, coupled with the raw power imbued in that 'cage' around Vali and I, were enough to remind me of something similar that had been used in the Canonverse of DxD.

It was the barrier that the Maous and Azazel used to contain and seal themselves away with Trihexa, the same powerful spell that had saved the world at that time, when the Brigade had freed the Beast of Apocalypse.

And while I was unwilling to spend unneeded energy on something I knew that I couldn't pierce, Vali decided to test out the barrier's integrity, grimacing as his powerful punch that had been enchanted with his Sacred Gears' inner strength and his demonic energy had all but failed to even chip at the spell.

We were thus stuck to fend off against the unrelenting wildlife for seven long days, the first two spent together as we tried to keep up a basic truce of not fighting each other until we were out, while the rest were spent without the white-haired douche as the Lucifer had gone up and left during the night of the second day.

I was annoyed at the unexplained disappearance at first, knowing that Vali was maybe trying to get develop beyond my current level as he was aware of the difficulty of doing so with me being around. Understandable, but I had set my plans to first beat the crap out of him and then prank hard those that had all taken part about this situation.

Irritation was enough of a deterrent to pursue the moron early on, my mind settling on actually looking around for any structural weakness over the barrier. Something this big had to have some flawed sections that were more susceptible to strong hits, enough to break a small opening that would have him leaving and go home.

I was determined, I was starting to feel hungry and… I discovered that grand salamanders tasted like fish with a chicken-like flavor. It's odd to explain, but I can say for sure that it was edible and quite refreshing compared to the infuriatingly-strong animals.

I don't know if the WWF extended its reach over supernatural beings, but I sure wasn't minding the morality behind eating non-sentient monsters that were out to eat me up. I merely returned the favor and… it was good food to try and enjoy in the harsh predicament I had been thrown into.

It was annoying, but also to a fair degree rather nostalgic. It's been a month or two ever since I had to seriously put forward the full-extent of my mind to move through the fiend-dense forests and tundras. I wandered deep and long through the massive region, going from a wet tropical biome to a cold and unforgiving mountain.

I ended up 'meeting' with some interesting creatures that I had heard in the past, but never thought of encountering anytime soon. Many, from Ice Demons to Chenoos, were incredibly wary of my presence and never dared too close to where I was, either out of fear or because they were conscious of their lacking numbers and strength.

Yet Wendigos proved to be the more active of the bunch, their intense and raw interest over my 'succulent' body being more than enough to drive them far and long to try and catch me off-guard.

When I first noticed the growling monster, the first to try and approach me, I had been partially-surprised and shocked of what I was looking at. This specific monster was given different aspects in various supernatural-related series, each giving them a unique detail to make them 'new' and 'scary'.

The one I had been looking at had the most known of the appearances given to Wendigos. It stood on its hinder legs, bones slightly bend and creaking, reaching an imposing height of four to five meters. Muscled arms with easy-to-see black veins on its dark-blue fur and then… a threatening snarl from its boney face, similar to the skull of a deer because of its antlers and pronounced muzzle.

I didn't engage the fight, my quick-thinking rewarding me with the fact I ended up dodging the sudden appearance of two more of the creatures trying to lie an ambush on me. Something that failed and gave me the opportunity to make a quick run out of that specific section of the tundra, only ending up getting chased thorough the place, the hunters giving no relief to the 'human' they were hunting.

These interesting bastards proved to be far more complicated to understand, their nature being mre complex than anything I had fought back in that tundra and urging me to give even more attention to face properly. Blasting my way through was something I couldn't do, my core recharging far slower than how much energy I required to steam-roll them, and I wished to avoid getting encircled and tired out too easily.

The deer-like fiends have a primal need for human flesh and my prominent scent among other beings that had lived there was easy to find with their strong noses and it had then running for me recklessly and mercilessly, never stopping a moment to investigate properly what the explosive light balls I had left for them to run into were supposed to do.

Having them to either explode, get vaporized or outright burned ended up giving me a renewed amount of food for day four and five, something that managed to keep me well-fed until I concluded my trip through the mountain and… I ended up in the worst place possible.

The heat was now unbearable, the ground was dark as coal as several cracks along the floor sported light-orange/red flames coming from those. It was magma trying to reach out from its original place, the gases containing in the dangerously-hot muddy substance being enough to propel some outside, but not enough to turn it into lava.

From the freezing temperatures to the ones that would easily see me melting given enough proximity to the hot liquid flooding underneath the ground I was walking, I was now sure that I had to truly find a way out or death would become a possible option for little old me.

I had to put away some of my clothes on one of the bags I had with me, leaving only my half-sleeved shirt and my pants rolled up to give relief to my tired legs and feet. After six days of relentless fighting to survive against the endless horde of monsters of various kind, I was indeed starting to get a little exhausted from the continued fighting.

I had no Phoenix Tears with me, Lilith having made sure that we had our reserves stolen or destroyed before leaving us here. Trying to have a battle and avoid getting even a lucky hit on me passing proved to be quite the strenuous labor to endure.

In the end, I merely tried to find a safe place where to rest and recover for the last day. I had improved… but I was unsure about how much I had. With my mind focusing on the ever-existing threats planning against me, I was left unsure over the full-extent of my improvement and…

Then I found a cave away from the horrid heat of the volcanic section of the region. It was much cooler and it was a desolate place where darkness and shadows offered some refuge from the monsters patrolling around for any easy preys.

I sighed calmly as I managed to get a sit by one of the further corner of the hiding spot, my eyelids trying their best to close as the sudden lack of light was enough to get me needy of some quick rest before resuming my walk.

Yet, even though my eyes closed and my body relaxed, I couldn't find any sleep from that sturdy floor and wall I was trying to use as 'bed'. I was relaxing, stuck in what looked to be a state of stillness but also full-awareness.

My heartbeat was eased, lulled by my heightened senses bringing up the complex nature of the magical leylines within the region. So much magic was fluctuating, so much natural energy and… I felt my mind wandering away even further, logic fading as I let my body succumb to the need of some rest.

Shiranai and Apophis were screaming at me to stay awake, to not fall asleep in that moment of weakness. I was still in danger and I couldn't afford to sleep in a moment where my limited reserves were starting to run low and required some attention.

But I was just… too tired. **And went to sleep.**

What followed was… probably the strangest dream I had ever experienced until now.

It wasn't anything about the world I was in… but rather about…

_**The past.**_

* * *

It was morning and I wasn't feeling any of the terrible heat I had endured until that point, my body was tensing up a little, distancing itself from the sleepy tone that had once coated it to rest. I was mere moments from waking up, my brain slowly picking up the fact that I was lying on some soft bed, the pillow on the side giving me some strange confusion over what had happened.

Just as my eyes were finally opening, I heard a familiar whistle and something like a mug being settled by the bedside. My eyes snapped open at the noise, but the post-sleep blurred sight proved to be an issue for little old me.

A yawn was suppressed the moment I heard the door of _my room_ closing, a feminine figure going out of it after leaving the steamy cup of coffee near my bed. I blinked numerous times and… then I felt relaxing.

The yawn finally reached out from my lips as I didn't have any reason, I decided to slowly get up from _my bed_. A sense of familiarity and safety, my brain reverted out from the need of training and to protect people as I was once again back to where everything had 'started'.

The vivid dream, the one that had seen me being a 'hero' was now over and I took a sip from my bitter coffee to validate this concept. It was hot, a little too much from my tastes as I felt my tongue almost melting at it.

Bad move, I chided myself as I proceeded to silently wander out of my room, my eyes scanning all around me. My guard was relaxed, non-existent even as I ended up walking through the cramped hallway that led right to the living room.

The room was a mix of kitchen and normal living room, something born out of convenience rather from willingness to have it displayed in that manner. The house was small compared to many of the villas present on the street where it was sited, but still big enough to keep me, _mom and dad._

I blinked, a small smile forming on my face as I went to greet the two individuals in question.

"Good morning~." I half-yawned, my stare alternating at my parents as both seemed to be busying themselves with different activities. Dad was reading some newspaper, seemingly groaning at some bad news about the current situation about the economy.

He was wearing a normal set of formal clothes for work, his black hair kept short and starting to graying after years of enduring some difficult tasks at the workplace.

Mom was happily humming as she was finishing cleaning up the dishes, she was wearing a flower-themed dress with an apron to cover it from the splashes of water coming from the sink, her blonde hair were tied down and short to avoid getting those stuck somewhere annoying.

Both turned with their respective smiles at me, seemingly glad to receive my greeting and replying with their own.

"Good morning, Tommy."

"'Morning, champ."

I nodded at them and slowly made my way right by the table as I settled down to read the last alerts from my phone. Hundreds messages from social groups, some little news about work and some spam reaching my email.

"Anything new, dear?" The lovely woman asked as she took off her apron and approached to see what I was doing. "Something about possible promotions or-"

"Mom," I groaned with a tiny smile. "I remember telling you that they wouldn't promote someone as young as me. I'm… I'm just too inexperienced."

"And you aren't recommended by any rich fellow," The older man admitted with a bitter huff as he folded his newspaper. "Work is just a harsh environment where to develop, just a few of people your age manage to get a stable one."

"Always the cheerful one..." I mused, getting a sigh from him.

"Son, I still believe in you. I know that you are good- no, _better _than any of your colleagues at this stage of your life," Dad replied quickly, appearing rather panicked at the glare mom was giving him. "But I wish to also remind you that life isn't… as hope-driven as we all want it to be. I know you will go far but-"

"It will not happen anytime soon, I know that." I sighed, giving a sad smile back at the man. "I know you care, dad."

He smiled back and nodded, while mom started to pull me in a hug from behind.

"My little Tommy is a big man with his new job!" The woman squealed in glee at the recent news. I remember getting that job by the local administration just a few days ago, this being my first day and- "I wonder when you will finally end up having your own house and… your lovely wife."

I blushed a little at the sudden interjection, the teasing tone the lady took more than enough to have me flustered as she started to pinch my cheeks. "And I want some grandchildren too, you dummy."

I chuckled and she giggled, dad just deigning a head-shake and a snort at the mirthful scene.

"Remember to also take care of your family, boy. You can't certainly forget about them." He warned, getting a smile from me.

"Of course!" I exclaimed with determination and mom sighed.

"That means taking care of your parents," She hummed happily, her throat hiding a giggle around the corner. "But also of Kunou, Koneko, Ophis and Lith."

…

"W-What?"

Mom sighed and smiled as she interrupted the embrace and walked by dad, the man having completely ditched the newspaper as both parents were now staring at me. I was shocked by what I had just heard, my soul storming in with the memories of that curious vivid dream- _which was actually the truth_, my eyes glowing in realization that…

Everything here was- it has to be fake!

"Son."

The curt reply from dad was enough to take my attention back as the man sighed. "This isn't… truly a dream." He failed to explain.

"It's true to the fact that the house and… the food is fake," Mo- _The woman looking like 'Mom' said_. "But the explanation about our presence, our real selves, is a little more complicated and… even difficult for us to understand."

"You mean for me, darling," The man scoffed with another head-shake. "I never believed to anything about deities and all of that shoddy stuff, but then _he _came to help us."

Mom huffed and bashed dad on the head. That very motion was just… so unique and who was 'he'?

"When you first disappeared after the first day at work… I thought that you had been kidnapped." She said with a now-sad tone. "I had gone to the police with your dad, explained the situation and tried to have them finding you but… you went missing for five months. No sign or clues were found my the detectives and… we thought you-"

"Nonsense, dear," Dad jumped in, standing up as he pulled his wife close to him to try and give her some comfort. "L-Let us talk about what 'he' said."

There was a pause, I was getting more confused and more aware that things were far off from what I had them initially thought. This was the dream, there shouldn't be any explanation behind the apparitions before me.

I had passed out because of soreness and heat, nothing about something a little more complex-

"I-It was a blessing!" Mom finally spoke, her tone lifting up and showing some awe at what had happened back then. "I-I've always believed in His existence and… and He granted us a new hope. He told us about what happened to you, that you were alive and-"

"Who is He?" I interrupted with a stern tone. "Tell me who is 'He'?!" I added with a stronger voice, making the woman jump a little while dad's glance hardened at the tone I had gotten.

"She is speaking about God," He revealed. "The Big G himself, the one that-" Mom elbowed him before the old atheist could have gone too far with his words.

"God?" I parroted with a confused look. What were they talking about? There was no magic back to the world were they were from and-

"He exist!" The woman replied back with a big smile. "He was so kind and mindful, he told us so much about you and your adventures. About the people you befriended and fought, about those you saved or defeated," She giggled. "About the lovely ladies that are now closing up to get you in a true relationship and… about the cute little ones you are family to."

She ended with a squeal. "To think that someone as adorable as those cuties exists!"

"D-Dear, you are digressing-" Dad tried to restore some sanity to the discussion much to mom's pout.

"Y-You are right, hun," The woman huffed and then smiled once more as she stared right at me. "He told us everything, he showed us all the things you have to brave so determinedly and strongly." Her smile softened. "You were meant to do something so grand and good but..." She sniffed, her eyes sporting some tears. "You went beyond that and you proved me to be better than what I hoped for you to be."

"M-Mom-" I barely saw her rushing for another hug, her head digging on my shoulder as the tears started to fall.

"I… I would like to really have you back," The woman sobbed. "My b-baby boy, so brave and strong." I put my arms around her neck and smiled sadly.

"B-But now… now you have a responsibility to them." Her tone cracked a little but she seemed serious with her words. "Y-You have people that have put their faith in your, their hopes and dreams."

"You have also people that loves you so intensely, kid," Dad intervened with a cheeky smile. "Lovely women that are truly into you and would end up crying if you mess things up because you forget your mission."

"And we don't let girls cry..." I pointed out softly getting a snort from my old man.

"Damn right, son!" The man said with a big grin. "We are going to keep watching, to make sure that you will succeed with what you are trying to do, that you will end up winning against the monsters trying to ruin the beautiful world around you."

I opened my mouth, ready to renew the promise when… I felt a pair of hands descend on my cheeks, bringing my face up as I stared at the teary-eyed face of mom.

"But this isn't an oath or a promise to forget ever again," She said with a strong voice. "I want you to make this your life mission, to finally accept the fact that, you will never mess up ever again until you truly believe in yourself and those around you." The woman's smile was twitching in sadness. "So… don't forget who you truly are, my child."

I felt my brain burn at the words, I felt tears running and as I was about to reply everything collapsed and…

**~I woke up back in the cave.~**

I blinked in shock as I felt the soreness and the unpleasant touch of the heat upon my exposed skin, my mind recovering from what I had just assisted and… I sighed.

_**Good morning, you idiot. You almost died and-**_

Soon, my brain focused on the issue at hand, the barrier still existing outside and… I had to break it. But how and-

_**Are you even listening to what I'm saying?**_

The encouraging words from mom burning brightly in my soul and I felt the solution at hand. It had always been there, that little problem about the Senjutsu Mode that had always hindered its true potential. That very limitation that I never dared to approach for fear of losing myself.

_**Hello-**_

"Of course," I mused quietly as I stood up and started to make my way back to the entrance of the cave, eyes preparing for the light coming from the outside after spending so much time in the shadow. It was blinding at first, my eyes wasting some time to adjust to the illumination and… then I stared up at the barrier.

I had it as my main priority, my main target and… now I had to have it to blow up to smithereens. I breathed in and out, then addressing the ignored Shiranai.

_We need to use the Senjutsu._

_**You can already access that without asking and why weren't you answering-**_

_And this time don't filter the negative energy._

_**Wait what-**_

_Trust me-_

_**NO! You better tell me what is it or-**_

_I… I saw them._

_**...What?**_

_I saw them, mom and dad._

_**Apparitions-**_

_They were real. They know what I'm doing and… they want me to-_

_**Continue to do your best? **_

_You-_

_**It's not difficult to remember what they wanted from us but… I thought you were already putting your best efforts out but… are you sure about it? Your body couldn't-**_

_I think it will work, but I need your help._

_**As always. Let us do this, my lord!**_

I felt the familiar pressure starting to coax my entire body, I could feel the sudden burst of energy filling my reserves but I could also feel the sudden presence of malicious corruption reaching out for my core, trying to take it and cause it to rot.

But… then said corruption halted its advance, quickly pulled away from the path it was taking and right onto my reserves. There it was then rendered mine to control and use and… I felt stronger than before.

A silver-like aura forming around me replaced the former dark mist and I felt ready to proceed with the barrier-busting. I crouched a little and brought my hands close to my side, chanting the beam I was mostly familiar with.

"**Kame...**" I felt normal magical energy, light one and… dark one mixing.

_**Wait, that means-**_

_I know what I'm doing._

"**Hame...**" I could feel the two opposing energies clashing with each other within the growing sphere of magic. Further magic was involved to stabilize the process, the attempt being fairly difficult to maintain for long. I had to be quick.

"**HA!**" The blast shot right it would usually do, but instead of the bright blue color, the beam was actually a light-gray with white and black lightnings crackling all around it. It took it some time to reach the barrier and then… I felt it resisting.

The powerful spell was holding well against the blast, but it was creaking and having some problem to tank it when directed at one specific spot. I continued with the beam even thought I could feel my entire reserves being drained by the brief skirmish of magical offense and defense, the containment effort starting to wavering the more it continued and… then it happened.

My face lightened up as I saw cracks starting to spread all over the barrier and then it finally broke, large magical shards disappeared before impacting on the ground, giving me further proof that… it was over.

I grinned as I fell on my knees, my breathing turning labored as my core had strained a lot with what I just did. Uniting Light-Magic with Dark-Magic had been something I've been thinking about for a long time now and… I've never considering taking the Final Flash as the basis of what I just did.

The Final Flash was the combination of two 'rejecting' energies that once combined would unleash a powerful blast, the only issue being that it requires the user to be capable of keeping the spheres stable until the explosion happen_ and then manipulate the explosion to create a beam of light._

I closed my eyes as I felt rain pouring down on me. Now that the barrier was down, the water could finally descend even in that hellish area of… hell.

_**And while I rested a while in that moment of satisfaction, I was completely unaware of Lilith's confused stare at my current appearance. Instead of the dark mist dignifying the fact I was still in my Senju form, it was my hair that showed that I was still not back to normal.**_

_**Instead of my jet black-hair in that form, I had silver-hair and red eyes. Just like Lucifer.**_

* * *

**AN**

**The Hermit Week is over, I enjoyed Christmas and the New Year with my family and… we are back on track. Before I start with what will be quite the long AN because I've been thinking about stuff and all, I hope you all enjoyed the festivities with your families and those you hold dear.**

**Now, let us jump to the madness****: I've been trying to study the case behind this story and I've come up with two major reader-formed thoughts, the first one being that I was skipping on character development which is true because I've been pressed on by the second current, the latter thought being that I was 'denying to give attention to the MC' which is a sign that someone isn't reading this story. When I write something, I prefer to add the MC's perspective as the principal line of the story, I would never divert it for the sake of putting on another MC. The MC is the MC, that is undeniable. When the perspective is passed to another character, the objective is to expand upon said character's development and give it some depth.**

**Why am I leaving this much space for this easy topic? People likes to bomb with reviews without reading. The proof of this grave accusation? The fact that some of the more recent comments decided to actually skim the MC's sections, which were numerous, and read up the character's development sections as the real story. Yes, I do notice you and I will not reply to these reviews. I've appeased where it was possible and I can't and will not pull a Neville Chamberlain because someone doesn't want to read a story and just want to irritate others.**

_**This is the last AN about the subject and I will not back away from this stance. This is the line, you can't cross it even if you tried.**_

_**Future milestone 1: 1001 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Aetherium21****: I've planned to correct everything (grammar mistakes, removing some crossovers and adding chapters) once I'm finished with the plot. I don't want to mess things up by correcting mid-updating for the sake of not confusing stuff up. Still thank you for the support and honesty.**

**Thel310****: Righteous Punishment is kind of a comedic connotation of the predicament. I don't certainly condone women beating men for no reason, but in Anime it is fairly used and… even in fanfiction it is. So yeah, it's a nonsense kind of crap, nothing attached to the real life.**

**Xx-noobslayer69-xX****: That's an interesting correlation. I approve!**


	79. Operation Thinkable

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 76: Operation Thinkable**

* * *

The return back home was… quite overwhelming.

Kunou spearheaded the small group that went in to tackle me down to the floor and give a long-paced session of cuddling, with the young girls 'demanding' that I stopped going for unexpected trips without reason.

Something which, to a fair degree, wasn't completely true. After all it had been Lilith's idea to send me and Vali to that week of literal Hell and I wasn't sure that the elated red-haired woman would stop being so much… unpredictable.

The strange thing that still I couldn't make sense of was the way the former Queen of Hell had decided to drag me and Vali around as we left that unexplored region of the Underworld, incredibly giddy and amused by our reactions but also by… something else.

It had been the silver-haired teen that had noticed the strange happiness coming off from his grandmother, pointing out how she seemed far more 'annoying' than usual with this 'loving hold' of hers.

Yet the little adorable episode I had with Kunou, Koneko, Lith, and Ophis proved to be just the prelude of the welcome party I had to deal with.

As I had reached the living room of the house, I had been greeted by Kuroka, Akeno, Akua and… Mio.

The eldest of the Naruse siblings looked a little nervous as I went to notice that her clothes were… a little revealing. Nothing much different from her usual school-girl uniform-like dress, but I quickly saw that her sleeves had been rolled up and she was donning two finger-less gloves and a longer skirt. Then I also noticed that her upper shirt was eased upon her cleavage, giving a perfect glimpse of her-

Yep, now I could see why she would be embarrassed with that outfit. From the previous details, I could only think that Sapphire had helped her niece to get a proper outfit that could help during battles.

Her short skirt made it easy for an enemy to merely cause some distraction by pulling it up, causing the redhead to panic and mess up her guard in the process. The gloves were emitting some magic and I could recognize the runes displayed in a soft violet light as… 'Gravity'?

I guess those helped her to fully manifest the potential of Gravity and make use of it easier during fights. But looking back at that little revealing feature of her new outfit, I could only guess that it had been advised from someone else.

"You know, I think you should stop ogling Mio-tan, Hoi-kun, or else she might pass out from the attention~." The mirthful comment from Kuroka was more than enough to get me to realize that I had been indeed staring at the full-blushing girl and quickly looked away while I tried to make some appeasing hand-gestures to avoid giving the wrong impression.

And I soon remembered that the people I was trying to appear 'good' to were those that were already aware of it and the only reason why the Nekoshou had gone with that teasing line was to get me to give them some opening for something a little more serious.

I felt a pair of pale arms wrap up around my neck and then I felt a warm breath tingling at my exposed skin. My eyes widened as I turned around a little too late to see a pair of short canines sink onto my shoulder and start drawing some blood.

_**Chu~**_

Flinching at the action and the familiar noise, I expected some pain to be coupling with the uneasy situation and… moments of silence passes as I ended up realizing that I wasn't suffering at all from that bite.

Rather, I was feeling unhappy for that sudden sneak attack from the black-haired vampire. More time passed and I realized that the bite was prolonging beyond the usual time and I started to worry about it going to last for too long until the girl slowly moved away from my neck with a satisfied grin.

"It seems that it did work," Akua commented with a normal smile, the way the happiness was portrayed on her face looking more natural than before. Actually, I could see a relative easing of her former stance.

"Why didn't it hurt?" I asked quietly, getting a giggle from Akeno and I turned to the Himejima.

"Akua-chan decided to ask her sister, Moka-san, if there were other ways to drink blood from a human that wouldn't cause any major discomfort to the partner and… she told her about the longer but eased process."

The vampire nodded. "By limiting the strength and the length of the teeth, I can prolong the process for the sake of rendering it painless and less invasive for you," The vampire finished the explanation for the Fallen Angel hybrid, her red eyes fixed on my face. "So, how was it?"

I blinked at the query, still failing to understand how things could have changed so much with just a week of absence. I had been gone for a week and it seemed that it's been years since I saw them all the last time.

Still, I slowly nodded while flashing an twitching smile. "I suppose it was… nice of you to make it painless?"

She nodded at the reply. "I suppose you are still recovering from the return and the surprise, still you're welcome."

I blinked again, this time taking some time to notice that… Lilith, Vali and the others hadn't entered the living room. Actually, they weren't even in the same floor anymore.

I turned back to Kuroka. "Is there something else- something important that you wish to tell me?"

They all tensed up at my question, giving each other a glance or two before Akeno sighed and nodded.

"We hoped to share some words about our current situation," The young woman mentioned with a small smile. "Privately and without distractions."

I nodded, sporting a curious look as we all went to pick a seat by the couches with… Mio picking one my right side, Kuroka my left, while Akua and Akeno picked the couch opposite to ours.

It was the Nekoshou to speak this time.

"While we have already told you about our interest in keeping this open relationship, there has been a development with..." The cat-eared woman glanced to the side, where the red-haired Naruse was glancing at her hands, unwilling to deign anyone else a glance because of nervousness. "Mio-tan."

I looked at Kuroka. "What kind of development?"

"I-I asked if-" Mio gulped nervously and nodded before continuing. "If it would be possible to… _join them in case I truly fell in love with you._" Her hands shot up to cover her renewed blush, surprisingly enough her quick-paced reply managing to clearly reach my brain and…

Oh.

_**Oh cripes, you better handle that carefully.**_

'**Why would Hoitsu need to be careful? If the girl wants to be one of his mates, I don't see problems with that-**'

_**The issue is more about… the age. She might look like an adult but… she is just a year older than her sister and Maria is Fifteen.**_

'**...That means that Mio is-**'

_Sixteen, maybe a few months older than Koneko at best._

"Isn't that a little… quick?" I inquired calmly. "I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but Mio-"

"She is still too young," Akeno interjected, getting a flinch from the redhead at the blunt reply. "We are aware of that… and that is why we told her that we wouldn't want her to join us now."

"As much as it would be fun to see her amusing reactions while trying to catch your attention," Kuroka mused quietly, eyes closing in thought. "I think it would be wrong for her to join up this serious relationship… without some years of experience and understanding first. I reckon that her age is a little off, but I think the biggest issue is that she isn't _sure _of what she is feeling around you."

I glanced at Akua, the vampire shrugging. "I think she should wait a little more. To see and understand what she wants out from you. Either platonic or romantic love."

Sighing at the shared negative about that proposal, I turned my attention at Mio and… I frowned as I noticed her shivering a little at the comments she just heard.

I wasn't completely sure how much time it has been since she had asked about that, maybe yesterday or the day before that, but I could see that the response were something that the girl hadn't truly expected to be this… blunt and incredibly well-detailed in their expositions.

I had my arm wrapped around her, the girl tensing at first at the sudden contact but then she started to relax as I started to caress her own arm to comfort her. "Now, now, why are you sad, Mio-chan?"

There was silence from her at first. Then she glanced up with a quick sniff and she let her head tilt onto my shoulder. "I… I don't want to- I didn't mean to sound like I-"

"Ohi, there is no need to be this much tense. I'm not going to hurt you, nor I think what you asked was truly wrong."

I felt the other three girls' stare on me, but I focused at the now-surprised Naruse. "W-What?"

"I mean, the girls are correct with their statements that you shouldn't be giving too much weight over this decision, to impose yourself to give an answer to it so soon it's… too hasty." I explained calmly and soothingly, trying to calm the girl down. "I can't say that I understand the struggle that you are going to, but I can see that it somehow puts you to the silly fact that I would get mad at hearing that you are partially thinking of being romantically-interested on me."

"And… isn't that the… case?" She inquired slowly, her red eyes once more staring up at mine. I smiled a little and sighed.

"Of course not, sweetie," I replied with an easy tone. "I can't be mad at you because of something you can't control yourself with. You aren't angry because I'm telling you 'no', aren't you?"

She blinked. "I'm just… a little annoyed. But I'm not angry or- or anything like that," Mio explained with less tension in her tone. "I understand that loving someone like that is a big step and… I just don't know what to do about it."

"Did you tell this to your Aunt?" I would have asked if she had sought advice from her sister too, but considering the perverted nature behind the half-succubus' _attraction_ directed at me, I sure was aware that the redhead hadn't gone for that route… yet.

"I tried to," She mentioned with a minor flinch. "She doesn't know it's you and… she said that I should just _take you and..._"

I blinked. "And?"

Her blush intensified and then… the girl concluded. "I should have 'taken you and kissed you without hesitation'- from there, if I liked it or not, I would know if I loved you as a friend or as a… lover."

There was more awkward silence and the redhead tried to hide away from the giggles and amused snorts coming from the other girls.

Meanwhile, my brain was slowly coming to realize that while Sapphire was seemingly good with life-experience advice and fighting preps, she was dumb as rock regarding love-related situations.

Having had just a relationship with a promiscuous Proto-Angel, I couldn't help but see why her sense of romantic feelings would be this much messed up.

_**And I thought that she was the sanest of the Morningstar family.**_

I sighed and nodded. "I guess I can see the issue with that and… I will give you a single advice about love."

Mio perked up away from her 'defensive posture'. "A-And that is?"

"Love can be instantaneous but it can be slow-paced," I said with a tired tone as I had yet to catch some rest since yesterday's lone nap. "It's not something you can study and understand without truly feeling it and, when you will find it, you will know it immediately if it is love or not."

The girl blinked at the explanation I gave her and… she nodded. "I see… so I should wait and… see if this is love or not?" She suggested, getting a nod out of me.

"That is the general plan, yes," I smiled as I caressed her head and hair a little.

"This is your life, Mio, you may find some difficult choices in front of you, some about yourself or those around you, but that is the beauty of life, the sense of completion at finding yourself with your own strength and desire," I paused for a moment and nodded. "You can also ask for support and help from time to time, but the choices that can change your life are generally up to you and it's best for you and only you to see which one is… better for yourself."

She smiled and melted a little more in the half-hug. "I… I will think about it." The girl resolved. "I guess that I will make sure that I will be careful in deciding about this and… I hope you will be waiting for me if-"

"I don't plan to go anywhere, Mio-chan," I snuggled my cheek on her hair. "And I will wait for your response whatever amount of time you need to decide."

She giggled and sighed. "Thank you… for being there."

I nodded. "No, thank you and-" I turned to glance at the other women, all looking at the scene with positive expressions. "Thank you three for bringing this up to attention."

They collectively nodded and I sighed as I continued to hug the smiling girl for a little while.

What a wholesome day indeed.

* * *

**Grayfia POV – A few moments later...**

This was the worst nightmare possible.

Or at least that was what Grayfia could say about the annoying bastard trying to irritate her with his tirades of the past glory of their family and his foul choice of marrying Sirzechs.

Euclid turned out to be as abrasive as she had remembered him from during the Rebellion against the previous Maous, the pompous prick of a sibling behaving as arrogant as she had last seen him be during their last skirmish in the Underworld

The maid to the Gremory clan was unsure if Lady Lilith had been aware of their frictions and had ignored the issue or if the woman had been unaware of it all and was discovering of this now.

The only thing that the Lucifuge was sure of was that Rizevim was enjoying the spectacle with an eye-to-eye grin that threatened to split his face in half between chuckles.

Hopefully, said split would be as gruesome as possible with enough blood being displayed for the sake of giving her satisfaction over the infuriating scene unfolding with the upstart of a brother.

A few more minutes of quiet chatting passed, her husband engaging in discussions with Azazel and Michael.

The room had been turned in a large meeting ground for the representatives of the Three Factions of the Christian Pantheon and everyone was just waiting for their last guest.

A soft knock interrupted the chatting as the final member of this reunion arrived.

Hoitsu peeked his head before truly entering inside the room, nodding and greeting politely all over the place while also gracing smiles to those he was close to, something that Grayfia received herself and returned with a polite smirk, before being assaulted by a certain naive Angel.

"G-Gabi-"

"Big brother, it's been so long!" The blonde squealed happily, interrupting the young man as she glomped him mercilessly and without a sign of letting go of the poor boy.

Lilith giggled at the sight, while Michael tried in vain to get his sister to back away from the second observer of this meeting, the first one being the quiet Vali as the boy looked at the scene with a subdued but mirthful glance.

Just like it had been back at the mansion, Grayfia reckoned as she was happily rewarded with a silent Euclid.

Her young sibling was glancing with mixed emotions at Hoitsu, having already revealed how miffed he was about having a 'rival' to his sister's affections.

Of course there wasn't any rivalry of sort, especially since the maid preferred the young man to her biological brother. Easier to manage, to care for and didn't seem to latch at her like a perverted parasite.

After some more attempts to get the Angel to stand away from the poor human, Hoitsu proceeded to get onto the remaining seat as the proper meeting finally began.

Azazel took the lead by revealing the latest development regarding the block of Gods trying to form a coalition against the Christian Pantheon and their allies, giving out info about the current number of men deployed by their enemies.

The number itself was worrying, but not enough to compare with Hell's legions and the dormant armies of the Shinto, Hindu and Taoism.

While the Hindu faction was fractured between the various belligerent deities, the God of Destruction Shiva had been the first of numerous divine beings deciding to not join with the aggressive block, preferring the status quo rather than a world-ending war.

A thought that was shared by the Gods like the Celtic Lugh and the Mongol Tengri himself, which turned in a powerful statement since the latter has a stern look over his worshipers and mankind as a whole.

Many were still in the process of joining for the 'Peace-driven' alliance, but the rallying was starting to cause some friction over the reasoning behind the existence of the group.

It was meant to be a peace-keeping force, but with the concentration of so many deities, it was clear that war was just brewing with the intensification of skirmishes all over the world.

Until now those battles had been brief encounters that left no sign of ever happening, only the leaders knowing what was going on, and yet it was a matter of time for things to escalate unless something was done to avoid it all.

After Azazel had concluded his speech, it was Sirzech's turn.

Her husband started by detailing the current investigations happening in Hell's society as some individuals have been discovered to hold some unpleasant allegiances outside the current government.

A large majority had pledged support for Qlippoth, something that had irked the Satans as it meant that there was still a noticeable group of denizens that supported the old leadership and… that meant that Rizevim could have easily sparked a rebellion.

Something that was subtly mentioned by the leader of the Maous and then was revealed bluntly by a comment coming from Lucifer's son in a giddy tone, enough to cause some nervousness across the room until his mother came and bashed his skull once.

Just enough to keep him quiet for a while.

The intervention then moved to the current security system over Trihexa, numerous details left untold during the presentation as with the presence of Qlippoth's leaders it was best to keep the current state of things about the Beast a secret.

Papers were passed with Heaven, Lilith and Grigori learning more about it.

Then it was Michael's turn to talk and the Archangel decided to be honest with the current situation in Heaven.

Their own investigation, both in the Kingdom and within the Church, had turned up numerous security problems about the overall integrity of their territories.

Heaven had some sections that could be used to invade, something that only a handful of traitorous Angels had been aware of and had been able to maintain their purity only thanks to an exception within the rules of the 'Falling' which had formed after God's death.

These entrance points had been properly sealed and guarded by numerous Angelic Guards while their focus turned on Earth and… things turned blurry.

From corruption to high treason, the Holy See's hierarchy had been filled with criminals and traitors, all of them partaking in surviving thanks to the cracks present in the over-stretched eyes from Heaven.

Some cardinals had to be sacked at once the moment their sins were revealed and a proper reshuffle was applied upon the current administration for the sake of having a completely-strong front to display to the other members of the group.

The depiction was helpful as it did show that even Heaven had suffered some major blows after the Great War, excluding God's death, but it also highlighted the fact that corruption was everywhere and people were flexible to sell sensible secrets out for money.

The two cases proving to be enough of a strong point for Azazel to point out the little purge he had been forced to commit for the sake of limiting the damage caused by Kokabiel.

While none of the rebellious Fallen Angels had pledged their allegiance or a connection to the man in particular, many had started the revolt during the time the war-hawk had attacked Kuoh Town.

Something that was good to know about and that confirmed that the Pantheon's internal stability has been fully reached just a few days ago.

It was clear that caution was still more than needed in these trying times and that it was something to extend to the other alliance's leaders for the sake of avoiding any sneak attacks from Indra and his clique of Gods.

Michael's turn was then diverted to describe some issues regarding the diaspora of Exorcists towards Grigori, asking for Azazel to at least turn over the worst criminals out for the sake of integrity and inner safety.

A request that had initially not sit well with the Governor General, but then the man had agreed to make some proper screening and send out any 'crazy maniacs' that had gotten inside the organization, reminiscing about a curious case happening in Kuoh a month or two earlier, glancing at a silent Hoitsu as he described generally what had happened in the situation.

Grayfia was smart enough to pick up that the 'little intruder' that had 'shown Azazel the extent of the crime committed by the garrison' was the one and only human in the room.

Could it have been his first_ unofficial _mission? Of that the maid wasn't completely sure of, but she merely accepted the development as it was granted.

Finally, the Archangel went on to discuss about the danger presented by Azrael and the full extension of his power. Something powerful and incredibly harmful even to normal Deities, but easy to counter with proper seals and mighty magical spells to subdue him.

The Angel of Death was indeed nigh-impossible to kill, the role bestowed by God and the souls contained in that abomination being more than enough to be the greatest of threats for everyone in that room to face.

The Maous and Grigori's representatives started to plan out anything that could have worked to face the immensely-difficult task of capturing the rebellious entity.

Something that took a while to find a determined response, but then someone else decided to butt in. Lady Lilith looked fairly certain of how Azazel was supposed to be handled, even mentioning that given enough consideration it could actually be killed by someone within this room.

The revelation had struck shock from the majority of the room and soon the red-haired woman decided to explain how she was so sure of this certainty.

The lady was clever in pointing out that Azrael had been weakened at the battle of Ama-no-uki-hashi, the wounds inflicted having put him to a point where his body would be far too unstable to further engage in any fight against someone strong enough to break his hold over the souls.

While Michael and Gabriel were sure that Azrael was invincible and immortal, Lady Lilith proved them wrong by divulging something that Lucifer had told her after the first encounter with the 'sad one'.

Even though there was a degree of immensity upon the role bestowed by God to the Angel of Death, the Angel itself required a material manifestation to continue to exist. The very limit that was imposed to Azrael was the one created by his sturdy construction within the material world, his artificial soul being unable to last beyond the expiration date of his body.

An important development because it gave them the clear flaw within the figure, while also offering them a chance of properly end him up.

Yet there was also something that Lilith mentioned but didn't expand upon. Azrael's body was meant to last some Earth-shattering damage before showing some cracks and the only ones that could have really made a difference against him were those that either had enough magical prowess to vaporize him or… those with the 'Power of Destruction'.

Only her husband could have managed to get close enough to keep up with the monster while also destroying it. A process that would require immense concentration and power, something that would have been possible only if a strong group like the other Mahous and others joined up the fight.

Right as this assumption was given to be thought of, Hoitsu decided to stand up with a determined expression.

"I would like to volunteer myself and…" He glanced at his long-lasting partner in Grigori. "Vali for the task."

There was some silence at first, with many frowning at the sudden declaration and Grayfia starting to think that something had made her surrogate otouto a little insane for saying such a ludicrous thing.

Yet Lilith seemed to evaluate the offer before shaking her head. "You two aren't strong enough."

"We can use the-"

"You can't." The former Queen interjected with a calm sigh. "I understand where you are trying to go with that statement, sonny, but you are failing to see how the 'timing and effort' required for that wouldn't be conceded by someone as brutally fast as Azrael is. Your proposal is denied."

He fell on his chair with a shocked expression, eyes going wide at that sudden dismissal but he didn't comment further after that. But the red-haired woman decided to assure him with something that was going to happen very soon, an even planned by Sairaorg.

"But you can display that when the Bael Tournament will happen," The Lady replied happily. "The one which you promised little Sai to fight against him."

The young man blinked at that statement, part of the maid hoping that he had been informed beforehand rather than receiving this news now of all times. It had been advertised for a while in Hell and, while the publicity hadn't reached out to the real world within the proper channels, the Lucifuge had been sure that the human had been at least conscious that something big would happen in two days from now.

"A… tournament?" He asked with a frown. "I thought it was going to be a spar."

Lilith giggled but nodded. "It was meant to be like that but… that prude Zekram decided to make it a tournament," She explained quietly. "I think it's because he hope to get you to show a little more than just what one would get from a spar."

A **thud** was heard across the room as the youth dropped his head onto the table. "_Why can't I get some peace?_"

Another giggle, the former Queen of Hell smiled widely. "That is because you are an unlucky fellow with rather the unique display of powers and attitude."

Surprisingly, the response fit well with the overall endearing factors that made Hoitsu quite the interesting character to meet and know about.

The young man was a gold-mine of strange adventures and his generally-cheerful outlook of things, his strive to do bring righteousness to the world was incredibly refreshing after the last few centuries of normal activities on Earth.

Still, while the discussion proceeded to enter towards the final bits of its existence and the meeting was close to wrap up, Grayfia stopped to think about the tournament itself.

Rias had been nervous to learn that participating would put her fragile reputation at stake as she would have to prove herself before Hell's people as a whole. Something that was as nerve-wracking as dangerous for someone in her situation.

Her sister-in-law was aware of it all, she was panicking about it every day until it happens and… she still wanted to take part of it for the sake of recovering some of the honor she had lost a while ago.

A difficult predicament that had put Sirzechs on the edge, especially at the prospect that his sister sought to find forgiveness from Hoitsu, an effort that even Grayfia felt the need to insist to have the girl to deter from.

It was a risky attempt that could seriously backfire on the hopeful redhead, something that she truly didn't need to experience, the couple unsure if the heiress would have been able to endure another defeat on that department.

The maid sighed as she was brought back by the nagging from Euclid, the moron of a sibling once again trying to get her to snap and strangle him up for being such an infuriating fool. Maybe she should have seriously thrown him in the oubliette when she had the chance to do that.

_**What a regretful pity.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Mio's situation is brought to attention and things are being planned.**

**Next time? Surely a lemon. But who should be the one to go for Hoitsu?**

_**Can I pick? Can I pick?**_

**...Really?**

_**Yes!**_

**Sigh, the choice is either Akua or Akeno-**

_**Yes!**_

**I didn't finish-**

_**YES~!**_

**...Really?**

_**Yep.**_

**Dammit.**

_**Future milestone 1: 1024 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**SkullWolfSteam****: The perspective is unchanged. It was still Hoitsu, his real name is now to be 'Tommy' or 'Tommaso' (Which is the Italian for Thomas).**

**StraxyX****: **  
**About the first review: I don't think you can pull a 'Johnny Depp' from Nightmare on Elm Street;**  
**About the second review: I advise asking to the poor fools that have read 'My Immortal', I heard they have plenty of that;**  
**About the third review: Everything is funnier when you have someone else to talk to. xD**


	80. True Recognition

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Warning****: This Chapter contains a Lemon. It's advised to those younger than the legal Adult age to skip the portion when the next warning is spotted. **  
**Your discretion is advised. **

* * *

**Chapter 77: True Recognition**

* * *

Kunou looked giddy as she lead me right to the training ground, where a certain silver-haired Nekoshou was waiting patiently and as excitedly as was the kitsune.

With the blonde's eyes glowing brightly in amusement at whatever she had planned for the spar she and Koneko had challenged me to, curiosity had lifted off and was slowly conquering over the little suspicions of what those two wanted to show me with a spar.

It has been long enough for their bodies to recover from Lith's energy donation, their Cores now running smoothly and within their usual pacing, so it wasn't that much difficult to foresee what they were trying to do with the fight.

There were two prospects of what I was going to deal with, the first being full-powered forms of their Senjutsu and Wild Frenzy as both boosts had been close to be fully mastered by the two girls, the latter and more improbable predicament being that… they somehow tapped in the dragon-type energy and they could now make no little issues in an eventual brawl.

I seriously hoped that it was the former than the latter, having dealt with some draining situations already and I wasn't keen to endure some boring and long rests away from further progress.

The new 'Senjutsu' form, the one I decided to nickname the 'Morningstar Mode', was still work-in-progress in terms of keeping up with the price of energy while also keeping the form stable enough to allow some fighting.

'**And that is ignoring the uncertainty about the Twilight Joker. Now that the Morningstar Mode exists, I doubt that stabilizing the triple energy-input would be viable at the moment.**'

A correct statement which Shiranai and I agreed to without hesitation, Apophis pointing out truthfully that I had been thinking of trying to tap in my stronger ability and… I had been wary of trying to do so.

With the form already infamous for draining a lot from my Core while also releasing a non-negligible amount of energy that was easy to perceive even by the beings with a grade slightly inferior from Ultimate-Class Devils.

If the situation truly ended up forcing me to turn in my stronger form… then I wasn't sure that I would be able to sustain the outstanding costs and to guarantee the safety of the girls.

Which wasn't something acceptable, urging myself from even considering tapping in the Twilight Joker until I was able to withstand and control the full potential of the Morningstar Mode without causing any major issues to any allies or friends.

We stepped inside the battling grounds, with Kunou rushing to Koneko as the two Yokai smiled and prepared their stances for the fight.

I glanced to the sides of the mini-arena, my attention catching Kuroka staring at the scene as she sat outside of the limits, a little smile on her face as she nodded my way as to dignify my silent question.

She was going to be the judge for this spar and I soon realized that I couldn't sense nobody else within the vicinity of the house.

Maybe it was because it was still quite early in the morning, but I would have expected Akeno to pass by to say hi before going to her grocery trip since it was Saturday and school wasn't in session for the day.

Shrugging the curious development to study for another time, I prepared myself for the battle and, before the engagement began, I took some air in and released it out from my lungs.

I blinked as I felt my body warming up in anticipation because of the eagerly-primed circuits spread all over me at the approaching brawl, my eyes hardening as both girls bolted swiftly and silently away from their initial position after the black-haired woman gave the initial signal for the spar to begin.

My body tensed up its guard at the partly-expected action and I prepared for the incoming assault as the two Yokai started to get closer.

Suddenly, the young teens split away from their initial blitz, both rushing from two different sides around me as to try and create some little distraction for me because of the double front now appearing in front of me.

I admit I was a little surprised at that smooth approach, feeling elated by the fact they had something planned for the occasion and… I smiled as the two drew closer.

I cracked a giddy smile, allowing my feet to take a step or two backward as the two finally went for the quick strike by darting away from their distant approaching and indulging for close-up fighting.

Kunou entered my proximity with her leg already priming to swipe up to my upped body urging my arm to be lift up as I braced for impact, while Koneko crouched a little with her fist cocked and ready to slam on my side and thus forcing me to prepare something to counter that little move of hers.

I was pushed a little bit back by the kick, failing to grasp her leg as the blonde jumped away before I could have the chance to and I blocked the Nekoshou's punch by raising my left up and let it slam there.

I did felt some pain, my face sporting a brief flinch much to the silver-haired girl's smug smirk and then she retreated before I could even drop a kick on her.

I huffed as soon a brief exchange of blows ensued, some of the attacks managing to reach out for me and causing me some minor damages.

Nothing strong enough to worry me, but the little pain was growing exponentially the more I let them have this much leverage on the few openings my guard was infamously still riddled with.

A hum left my mouth as I decided to test their overall perception of a difficult and unexpected situation by not going for a full power-up.

I went for a Kaioh-ken Times 2, just enough to let the energy course in my body and heightening my senses. It was sufficient enough for me to be able to deal some little tricks I had up in my sleeve.

Koneko was the one to first notice that I had something in mind or rather, she was the first victim of the few-steps plan to victory as her legs were caught up by numerous strings wrapping around and causing her to trip as she continued to pursue my retreating form.

Kunou paused a moment, distracting herself with a wide-eyed stare snapping at her downed ally but, before she could have gone and help the fellow Yokai up, her attention was suddenly taken by the glowing white sphere forming right on the side opposite to where she was looking at.

Blue flames burst out around her body, her fox-fire sprung up to life as it coated her protectively by the time the intensifying glow concluded with a powerful explosion. The brunt of the damage was dealt mostly by the fiery barrier, but the knockback was strong enough to make the blonde lose her footing and send her flying away from her previous position.

It was more than enough of a chance for me to rush to action and capitalize on the current weakness displayed as I rushed towards the girl and proceeded to exploit the multiple openings offered by her unfortunate flight.

She eeped in surprise when her guard started to fail to match up with the speed my blows had and soon the girl was sent flying again, this time my opportunity to further prey on her flawed defense was denied when I was slammed away by a certain silver-haired blur.

Koneko had a big scowl on her face that fully showed the inner annoyance she was feeling at the deceitful act I just pulled her into.

The cat-eared girl was oozing with more energy and I noticed a little too late that she was taller and 'older' compared to usual.

I recognized Touki and I recognized natural energy mixing to create the 'Shirone Mode', her entire potential tripled if not quadrupled than her usual self and I was quick to pick up the advantage by the way her speed and strength became quite the issue to fend off against and I knew my odds were slim to success without boosting up once again.

I went for a Times 8, the red aura growing intense and a little burning on the skin as I started to fully experience the brunt of the technique once again.

It's been a while since I had last used it in a fight and now I was sure of why it was best to regain some control over the essential move.

Koneko yelled as she continued with her attempts of piercing through my renewed guard, her attacks deflected or countered with powerful punches that slammed on her arms.

We were evenly-matched in terms of power, but my endurance was far higher than hers much to my silent surprise. I would have expected her to be able to withstand more hits since she still had her Rook piece.

An odd circumstance that persisted for some time, until our knuckles slammed against each other and some small cracks appeared on the magical barrier that existed around the battle grounds.

It was another sign that something was off about our current pace, that the girl was going a little bit beyond as this didn't… sound anymore like a spar.

There was anger, but it was directed at the owner of the emotion, Koneko roaring as she tried to push me away in the little clash but hardly getting me to back away as I wasn't certainly going to let her have this little win.

"W-Why-" She tried to speak, her teeth gnawing and depriving her of a clear tone. "Why are- you not using- **why are you holding back?!**"

_...What?_

_**I think she is talking about the 'Senjutsu form'. I reckon you never told her about… our little development.**_

_Oh- Wait, does that mean that-_

'**She thinks you are purposely holding back on her.**'

_Oh no. But I'm not-_

Now I could see why she was so much angry and why her Core was pushing more energy out.

Her 'Shirone mode' was dropped the moment she interrupted the close encounter and retreated back to a safer position but before I could tell her anything, her energy skyrocketed once again and this time I noticed a curiously familiar magic forming a white aura around her.

Her hair paled to a pristine white and her eyes turned to a crimson red, Koneko roared at the power she was displaying in that exact moment and I couldn't help but gaze at the scene in utter awe.

So she did manage to unlock her own version of the Fox-Dragon Mode, her energy surprisingly stable enough to keep up for more than a dozen of minutes before-

_**Stop staring and DODGE!**_

I tilted my head, eyes widening in shock as I was hit by the strong gust of air created by the powerful punch almost centering me on my face.

I could see her eyes boring at me, I could see some annoyance and some irritation at the fact I was still buying 'time to not get strong'. The Nekoshou was furious, I could see that without any external help, but I couldn't certainly do-

Mere moments of surprising quiet were ended when I felt her knee slamming onto my stomach, air forcefully spilled out of my lungs as I was pushed back several feet away, the girl showing no mercy as she rushed to assault me with everything she got.

The Kaioh-ken hardly seemed to hinder the strength behind her hits and soon I started to seriously doubt this was even a spar to begin with, she didn't seem to be holding nothing with her punches and-

_**We need to step up the-**_

_No._

_**She is going to put us in crutches if we don't-**_

_Absolutely-_

_**We can do it! Stop trying to make it seem like it wouldn't help right now.**_

_FINE!_

It was an instant before her fists reached my face again, a brief moment in time where my hair turned white and my eye turned a bright red as I glanced at her with a serious look.

Koneko looked surprised at this development, no- shell-shocked to see this sudden change and she stopped herself, eyes widening up in awe as I stared at her.

"W-What?" Her lips let out softly, her brain having to reboot at the sight and-

My hands were quickly upon her face, her cheeks suddenly pinched as her eyes now revealed panic and fear the moment I started to squeeze painfully.

"Attacking me like that, as if trying to coax me to show something that I don't have anymore," I pinched a little harder as to emphasize my point, getting a little yelp from her. "Were you?!"

The cat-girl yelped again, her cheeks turning red at the attention before she gulped nervously and slowly nodded at my query.

"_S-Swowwy?_" She tried to apologize, letting out a cute meowling from her lips during her reply causing me to pull at her cheeks a little more before letting her go and starting to pat her head.

Panic slowly turned in tension at the still-present contact, her body stiffening at the hand going through her hair before finally accepting quietly the little ministrations, melting at his touch.

"You are truly a silly, silly girl," I stated with a sigh, my seriousness evaporating this mere instant of calm peace. "Really, why did you go that far?"

She was silent at first, her stare dropping away from mine as she seemed to be hesitant over telling me about this and I contemplated myself whatever got her to be this much… angry all at once.

The girl just wasn't the kind of person that would get this much emotional over a fight and, for some reason, I felt like the reason was well-worth to be understood in that moment.

It was a hunch, a strong gut feeling that told me that-

"I..." Koneko finally spoke, her red eyes lifting back up to mine. "Am I strong?"

I paused a moment, blinking once at her question before giving her a confused frown.

"Strong? You are one of the strongest girls I know." I replied without hesitation, making her smile for a brief moment before huffing again in little discomfort.

"B-But I could be stronger," The Nekoshou pointed out with a doubtful tone. "I- I could be more useful and- U-Uh?"

She couldn't finish up her sentence as I slowly took her up in a hug, my arms wrapping on her legs and pulling her up close so that I could look at her better.

The girl 'eeped' a little as her hands settled on my shoulders and her wide eyes noticed the mirthful smirk on my face.

"I think you are strong, pretty and incredibly smart, Shiro-chan," I replied resolutely, drawing even more surprise out of her. "Actually, I'm sure of it. I know that and much more about you, so much and… I think I failed to tell you something else that you need to hear."

She blinked, red eyes waiting patiently for what I wanted to say. "A-And that is?"

My smile widened. "My little Shiro-chan, you are my little sister. Just like Ku-chan, Lith-chan and Ophis-chan, you are my family," I explained with a serious tone. "I don't seek useful people, I don't seek 'pawns' or other pieces of Chess. I wish for you to be happy and to know that we are all here for you as you are part of our big family, Shiro-chan."

I smiled brightly as I saw her expression twitch, her eyes trembling as a few teardrops formed around and-_ She dived her head on my shoulder._

Koneko sobbed loudly, bawling childishly as her hold over my shoulders shifted to have her arms wrapped around my head while she let out the little frustration assailing her for a long time now.

I had one of my arms move up to wrap over her shoulder, patting her back as the Yokai continued to cry for some time while the two other girls approached the two of us.

Kunou smiled kindly as she moved to look at her surrogate big sister while Kuroka went to softly join my hand in patting the fellow Nekoshou's back as to comfort her.

The little moment lasted a few more minutes, concluding when the girl conceded to some rest as she fell asleep on her hug, making me chuckle softly at her little smile as she was safely handed to Kuroka.

I turned to look at the kitsune, the blonde sporting a tired look herself and I was about to ask if she wanted to go in the living room to rest by the couch when I felt a sharp pain emerge from within my Magic Core.

Tensing up, my hands shot by my lower abdomen as the Morningstar Mode dropped instantly, my legs gave away as I felt myself falling on the floor as my consciousness wavered and started to quickly be overcome by a sudden wave of tiredness and soreness, both internal and external.

Kunou was upon me, her golden eyes going wide open as she tried to pass a vial of Phoenix's Tears to me but…

_I was already passing out, my mind shutting down without explanation and soon I was unconscious on the ground._

* * *

I woke up several hours later, a head-splitting migraine greeting me first as I found myself within the safety of my bed much to my surprise and confusion.

The curtains of the room had been lowered down to the point where light barely allowed any means to look at what was in the place and there was darkness hindering my sight in seeing if there was someone else in there.

I was suspecting that I wasn't alone, the major hints being the curious weights pressing on both sides and seemingly breathing warmly near my shoulders.

I blinked once before I finally decided to look at my right side, my eyes instantly widening as I was rewarded with quite the curious scene and… blush.

Akeno was currently sleeping, her face very close to mine as she softly snored on my shoulder while… her clothes and underwear were finely-folded right by one of the chairs nearby the bed.

Just as I finished noticing this detail, my eyes wandered to the other chair and I ended up realizing that another pair of clothes had been folded there, this ones being a little darker and… familiar too.

I slowly turned away from the Himejima, my mind slowly giving out the final hints of whoever was sleeping on the other side of the bed.

My eyes concluded the turning by glancing right… on a pair of slitted red ones, Akua blinking back happily and partially embarrassed about the current state of things.

I gulped nervously, then I decided to make the first move as to greet the clearly-awake vampire.

"Hi-" "Hello-"

We both stopped, our eyes widening and our respective blushes spreading out a little more as silence lasted a little longer before I was allowed to try once again.

"I don't want to sound disappointed but-"

"Healing," Akua preceded me by blurting out the reasoning behind their presence here in the bed. "Akeno-chan said that it was an efficient way to… heal the damaged Core, that Magic would pass through better… this way."

Her explanation, coupled with her brief pauses, left me particularly speechless as I recognized what she was talking about as it was the very thing Rias had done to Issei to allow him to recover quicker from the brief grazes with death the brunet had to deal with during his first few days as a Reincarnated Devil.

I was confused as to why it would be necessary for this kind of 'healing spell' when we had plenty of Phoenix's Tears around to-

_**Your Core almost collapsed. I miscalculated the timing you had to keep up the Morningstar Mode and you almost died because of it.**_

I could feel the remorse dripping from Shiranai's tone and I sighed inwardly.

_It's not your fault-_

_**IT IS! I- I mean… I should have been more mindful because the boost is still unstable and… you were right. We need to train much more before we get a full grasp about it. It's… different than I remember it to be.**_

_You will not do this mistake again-_

_**Your life is entrusted to me when I help you with this transformation. I have to keep an eye on weird things and warn you to 'get out' before things get too unstable.**_

…

It was surprising to notice how mortified he was about the situation but-

'**It was a grave mistake for sure but there is little you can do about it… unless you truly give your best in avoiding this to happen once again.**'

_**I-I will! I can't allow you to die, not when our hopes are at stake, not when THEIR hopes are at stake.**_

It all sounded somewhat ominous coming from him, the way he sounded so much attached to everyone to a strange degree and… I noticed that I was wasting too much in thinking about the matter and ignoring Akua.

Just as I began saying something to the vampire about the situation, to calm her visible suspicions on her face, I felt Akeno stirring on her sleep and… soon a hand reached out for my shoulder, softly squeezing as the girl hummed.

"Oh, you are… awake?" She asked with a yawn, her violet eyes staring quietly right at mine as I turned around to greet her.

"I am and… I see that you decided to go for something this much extreme-"

"Because you almost died?" The Himejima replied dryly, her smile surprisingly unfazed by the tone owned by its owner. "I guess I should have just gone for something a little more painful, just for the sake of_ passing the simple point of moderating yourself_."

I frowned at that. "Isn't that what-"

"I took in my life because someone insisted that balance was essential?" She interrupted, her sarcasm was truly evident from her interjections.

"I admit it was my fault-" _**Which isn't true- **_"But I didn't expect for things-"

"To get this bad?" This time it was Akua that interrupted. "I guess you didn't use this new transformation enough to have a good control over it."

I nodded at her but Akeno's hold over my back tightened and I felt her nails digging on my flesh.

It was in that exact moment that I now realized that I had been deprived of my own clothes as my upper and lower bodies were unprotected by the quiet and 'smiling' fury behind me.

"U-Uh, Ake-"

"Be quiet," She ordered with a strong voice, eyes steeling as she leaned a little closer. "Your selfish privileges have been revoked until… we find you clean of your crimes."

..._What?_

I was confused at first by her words, then I felt her chest press on my back. "And I think it's about time we consider a proper recognition of our relationship, don't you think Akua-chan?"

I glanced at the vampire, feeling a little nervous at what the girl was mentioning and I blinked in surprise as the Shuzen nodded back at the fellow young woman.

I gulped loudly as the hybrid giggled. "Well, I guess I can now put to good use this little box."

She lifted a small cardboard box with a familiar name written on it, I saw part of the content sticking out and… I blushed even more.

"So… you want to-"

"Yep~!"

… "Oh-"

The peace of the quiet bedroom was interrupted in quite the unexpected manner as-

**-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-(WARNING! LEMON STRAIGHT AHEAD!)-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-**

**SWITCHING TO THIRD PERSON!**

Akeno giggled as she pressed her bountiful bust further upon the young man's back, drawing a little sigh out of her lips as the girl felt her chest heating up in need at the little action, ready to feel more as her mind gave her a simple message.

It was her moment to shine and… to please and to be pleased!

Another giggle reached out at that silly thought as she was sure going to make this lovely situation memorable and surely unforgettable for the other two partners in bed.

Her lips dived for his shoulders as she started to give him numerous kisses, sending shivers all over his body while Akua decided that she didn't want to be excluded by the action as she merely leaned her body forward pressing her modest bosom on his chest, her face burning red as the young woman instantly noticed a curious warm tool touching close to her cool legs.

The vampire tensed up at the realization of what it was, red eyes widening in minor surprise and excitement as she felt the semi-erect rod slowly lift up close to her own sex and thrusting slowly near it.

It was the mere closeness of the two sensitive instruments of pleasure, the length barely touching her wet folds and yet sending shivers through her body as the need that had been there for some time now was starting to grow, enough to start demanding for some more.

Her instincts took over as she unconsciously started to lower herself over the shaft, her bud now pressing softly on it and… it just felt strange. A good kind of strange as her mouth salivated, eager to see how truly sex worked.

After years of hearing people discussing about it with so much intensity and some-sort of priority about it, now she could see why there was this much interest about it, why it just felt so… good to even think about.

Her mons were then moving in a mechanic fashion, rubbing over the mast as the intrigue within her got better of her and… then she felt Hoitsu's strong arms wrapping around her frame, careful but also impatient, just as she was to know more about the full extent of a sexual relationship.

But Akua was mindful to not exaggerate, that her curiosity was to be gauged within some caution and attention to her partner, the human being slow himself in the pacing as they both weren't eager to rush out this sensation.

Reading it from scientific or mundane magazines was something that gave her curiosity, but personally take part to it? It was a relatively endearing to perceive this emotion, the sudden burn that felt so good to have coming from her lower body and her toes were twitching eagerly at the fact that this was just the prelude for the real deal.

The purest and raw act of love and trust, something that she was shy to consider yet elated to prove with the people here in the bed.

Her moans were soft and half-whispered, a genuine effort to not give out how much the girl was enjoying this mere activity and… then she moaned a little louder when she felt a slender hand reach out for one of her lower cheeks.

Akeno giggled again, his time tilting up as to see how her fellow female was enjoying her little intervention, a quick and squeeze of that delicious butt seemingly breaking through the feeble defenses erected by the still-stiff vampire.

It was almost adorable.

And while her right hand wandered in that soft, pale skin, her left one wandered close to home as it slowly started to entice the already interested entrance to get prepared for the grand act of that delightful day.

Her smile twitched as she returned her lips back on Hoitsu's neck, nibbling at the young man as to yearn more from his sloppy beginning. He was still too shy, something that Kuroka had mentioned during about her tale of her first time with him but… now she could see that there were means to get him to increase the pace.

The male's mind was starting to get dazed by the multiple sensations he was experiencing, his hesitation eroded by ever-so increasing crave of satisfying this lovely ladies… while also gaining some pleasure for himself.

Some selfishness in that selflessness as he his hands finally wandered down on Akua's chest, playing with her nips and carefully grasping her noticeable orbs.

The vampire was in ecstasy at the growing interest in making her feel good, her moans now far too difficult to suppress as she felt urged to show that their efforts were working perfectly, that she was truly experiencing pleasant tingles all over her body.

This predicament… ended for a brief moment. It was abrupt as the rod was slowly retreated away from her wet curls just like Akeno's hand as the Himejima slowly took ownership of the shaft, rubbing it a little as she placed one of the condoms coming from the 50+ pack she had been 'lucky enough' to have around for the occasion, before starting to push it back towards the ravenette and… press it by her groin's entrance.

Her slit was wet enough and, having read beforehand what this action signified, Akua was now sure about what her partner was trying to convey.

It was time to go for the real thing and she felt aching at the waiting, her mind almost screaming to go forward and taste this not-so forbidden fruit at her reach.

The tip entered slowly and parted her lips open as it started to slowly go deep in her and then- she felt the sharp pain.

Her hymen was broken quickly, the sharp negative tingle rendering her unable to proceed forward for some moments, something that was perceived by her partners as they halted in their actions and let her recover from that visibly painful situation.

Moments passed and… it was Akua that decided to start and push once again the mast in. She was slow, careful to not over-exert herself through the pain and letting the length enter in her even more before it was fully enveloped by her walls.

The friction created by the rod tingled at the waning pain, reducing it even faster as renewed waves of pleasure reached her brain as if to urge her to go faster.

And faster she went, her pace starting to increase to commit to her deep desires and… then she felt his hips starting to follow up her own movements.

It was slower than hers at first as the young man was starting up in that moment, but then they started to go at the same pattern, creating something so immensely pleasurable and so mind-drowning that her thoughts turned primal, almost animal-like at the heavenly situations happening in her nether regions.

They were both sweating and his face was close to hers, enough for… the vampire to finally give show of the boldness developed from that dance they were both equal parts of.

She leaned forward and she conquered his lips with hers, her formerly shy tongue now curious and interested in exploring the unknown presented by his mouth.

His tongue intercepted her raspberry, wrestling with it. The action causing them both to moan in each others' mouths, their connection now reaching the zenith as the climax approached and-

A giggle coming from behind her was the only hint that Akeno had moved out from her initial position and… then she felt something soft pressing on her upper back, the Himejima's hands slowly going for her own chest and playing with her sensitive breasts while her legs pressed her closer to Hoitsu.

"There, there~" The young woman whispered to her ear, her warm breath causing the vampire to shiver in delight as she felt close to climax and then… she felt it!

The speed increased even more, her sex burning in the passion as the final pound echoed through her inner core.

The short-haired girl could feel her own orgasm coming as the condom inflated at the copious amount of seed coming through the head of the rod, her pleasure-influenced mind creatively thinking how good it would feel to have her walls painted white after that perfect first time spent with someone she loved and trusted immensely.

Yet, after a few moments of silence, the shaft slowly retreated out of her highly-sensitive mound and the inflated condom was out of her folds.

Akua had a satisfied smile plastered on her face as tiredness finally came barging within her mind, she was sore but… still far from considering sleeping with the opportunity presented.

But before she could even try to ask for a Round Two, the hybrid that had been lying behind her shifted above her and turned the hazed man to stare up to the ceiling.

Soon the smiling seductress settled herself on his groin, his semi-erect length started to get energetically rubbed by her incredibly-wet mound as the aroused girl wanted her own actions and she was… less subtle than the vampire had been about it.

As the mast started to get fully erected and ready to be inserted through her entrance, Akeno moved swiftly to replace the used condom and put on a new one, surprising her two lovers with her speedy replacement before aligning the shaft right in front of her bud.

She slowly descended down the length, careful to not rush things and get the pain of her first time to be too abrupt and distracting.

Akua had expected for the hybrid to pause, to be tentative to not break her hymen so suddenly and yet… she managed to get the entire member within her walls, seemingly painlessly.

She smirked happily, seemingly unfazed by any of the repercussions behind the loss of her virginity and… the Himejima was then quick to set up a brazen pace, riding Hoitsu with vigor and lust, with genuine affection and need to share the pleasure with him.

The young man groaned, but his hands were now by her hips as he helped her to keep up with the fast-paced pattern the girl had gone for.

Soon they started to moan, with Akeno's face becoming a shameless display of what kind of pleasures she was experiencing in that exact moment and… Akua felt tingling once again.

It was that eager look on her fellow partner, it was the way she seemed so desperate for some more attention and… the vampire sure wasn't going to forget how the young woman had 'helped her' just moments before her first orgasm.

The ravenette shifted to stand above Hoitsu's face, her inner self thrilled at the prospect of giving a full-view to the young man while she focused on the now confused girl in front of her.

Akeno tried to ask what was Akua planning to do but, just as her lips parted to deliver such words, those were captured by the craving ones of the vampire, making the Himejima's eyes to go wide in surprise…

Before melting at the bold attempt as their kiss deepened to a lustful and delicious, their tongues twisting and playing around as the ravenette didn't hesitate in displaying some affection to the fellow girlfriend and…

Then she felt a wet tongue reaching from below her. Surprise was quickly dispersed at the thought that the only one capable of affording this was the young man that was currently being ridden by the Half-Devil.

Hoitsu didn't spare a moment to give her some perfect attention, her clit stimulated by tongue and fingers as the human had retreated one of his hands from Akeno's hips and was now playing with her mons.

The vampire tensed up a little as she felt a finger, the index, poking at her entrance and then, with a slow but incredibly satisfying way, it started to pleasure her still-sensitive walls.

It was just so- _delightful!_

She moaned the loudest together with Akeno, the girl now close to climax at the lovely ministrations she was received.

Soon the Himejima's body tensed, eyes going wide in ecstasy as she climaxed on Hoitsu, the young man following shortly… and then it was Akua's turn to came once again, her sensibility bringing her to orgasm much faster than the previous time.

Both girls slowly tumbled by the side, still engaged in that much-needed kiss as to keep their mind from missing out the still-going chance for more pleasure.

Just as they tried to sit up, they spotted from the corner of their eyes the young man sitting up and looking at them with a teasing smirk, lifting up the box still filled with numerous condoms and shaking it enticingly.

"The night is still young, ladies," Hoitsu mentioned, his free hand wandering right by Akeno's leg and reaching for her buttcheeks, squeezing in preparation for what was going to be…

_**Truly an interesting night to enjoy…**_

* * *

**AN**

**Ya know, I always thought that grand challenged were to get above 7k+ words chapters out, but then I realized that it was more difficult to write two lemons back-to-back in the span of two days. And no, I'm not referring to the 'curious predicament' of the lemon, but rather the fact I wrote two chapters with lemons inside. **

**And now I'm quite drained and-**

*****_**Whistling**_*****

**Oh God! N-Not again. P-Please, we can talk this out-**

_**Ready or not here I come~!**_

**AAAAAHHHHHH-AH~?**

**[The Author was once again found in a state of shock, his body tense and covered by numerous sheets as he tried to understand what had just happened. Yet, differently from last time, there was a little grin twitching once or twice in a while on his face. What could have happened to him?]**

**Before the R Q&A, I've to explain why last time I could (Which was on Tuesday), I wasn't able to get the update out: I woke up early in the morning with my dad bleeding with a small gash just a little bit above his forehead. I woke up with mom yelling and asking for either mine or my sister's help, me being the one to wake up quickly and help her pick the ice bag and the help her around with dad. Dad wasn't truly hurt, rather he is old and very easy to scare when he gets hurt and see some of his blood coming out, thus putting him at risk for a heart-attack. The entire family spent close up to 14 hours by the hospital, the only way I was able to send the message at the forums being that my sister had her laptop with her (because my phone didn't have connection and hospital doesn't have wifi because… sanity here is just a sore spot for everyone.). Still, my dad is fine for whoever he is asking, the only issue is that he is supposed to have a silly patch over his head that make him look like a clown. He is fine and joking around it so… yeah, that's it.**

_**Future milestone 1: 1080 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**Na2s:**** Double Lemon!**

**Victorsan12345****: The comment is about the proto-angel going for some kissing at the first strong woman she found in the battlefield. Not much holy, kind of perverted even. Still yeah, that's why.**

**Clamity****: I don't know if it's a silly and sarcastic joke or a grand compliment. I think I will reply with a neutral 'thanks' to avoid any strange developments from there.**


	81. Army of Two

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 78: Army of Two**

* * *

It was a cool morning that greeted the sore body of one Vali Lucifer.

A little groan mixed to a yawn left his lips as he slowly tried to move away from the cold ground, his bones feeling ready to snap at the terrible training he had just come through.

Lilith was merciless, that 'angelic' face was hiding centuries worth of fighting knowledge that made her rightfully-feared by most of the Underworld and Heaven combined.

It didn't help that she was treating this mentoring more as a game rather than a serious situation, her playful remarks as she delightfully breached his guard to deliver some earthshaking blows were enough to send the Lucifer's mind in a state of utter confusion and detachment from reality.

The challenge of fighting her without Balance Breaker and his Ultimate Form.

The Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive had been conceived in a moment of despair during the week of training in the worst region of Hell itself, his Balance Breaker failing to keep up with the never-ending horde of high-level monsters rushing at him for the kill.

He had dealt with them for four days, his mind sharp enough to understand their pattern, but still incapable of fending off so many attacks at once.

It had been a close call, he could remember his Scale Mail was chipped hit by hit while Albion screeched inside his head to retreat, to get in a better position instead of standing like that and tank this much damage.

But logic and reason were failing to urge him outside of that brutal carnage, something clicking so deep from his consciousness that he was forced to refuse everything and search.

He searched up, down, outside and then… inside.

There was his heartbeat, there was the pressure exerted by his panicking thoughts and Albion's irritated yelling and then…

There was something roaring, something accustomed to the Vanishing Dragon, but the Beast was failing to perceive it as it called out for action.

It wasn't craving at Albion, no. It was roaring at Vali.

_**And Vali did accept the roar, he made it his own**_.

The Scale Mail broke abruptly as an immense beam of light scorched the monsters in his proximity, dense and_ undeniable_ power rushing to his veins, to his core and… to his Soul.

He roared, his newer, stronger Scale Mail displaying the raw anger and strength that was now his to take.

Differently from the cumbersome Juggernaut Drive and the painful efforts required to keep it going through the senseless voices of the past Hosts to the Vanishing Dragon, Vali didn't feel any of that.

He felt lighter, without any worry and… strong.

It wasn't a mere boost, he could feel his own Magic providing a blinding sight as his own Core was quickly but surely overcoming anything he had seen happening with his grandmother.

Lilith's energy paled at the overwhelming waves of mana flowing through his body, power that seemed to make everything possible to the truest heir to Lucifer.

As much as Hoitsu could have dared to get close to the title, it was his birthright that it was at stake and he couldn't concede it to his partner.

It was his responsibility, burden and duty towards himself and… his mother.

The following waves of monsters that tried to get close to the renewed armor were all greeted by a gruesome massacre that saw their numbers dwindling in mere moments of pure speed and sheer brutality.

It was in that moment that he felt it, no- It was him.

Hoitsu's magic was flaring to a degree far higher than usual, but there was nothing similar to his known strongest form.

The brunet's core was burning like a sun, he could see light erupting from several kilometers away as a beam of light-gray exploded and clashed against the resilient barrier.

The silver-haired young man's jaws dropped as he saw the crack forming, Hoitsu's impressive feat proving once and for all that they were truly connected by something that transcended fate itself.

It was a bond that formed in so little time, but that was undeniably the strongest thing Vali had felt on a personal level.

The kinship, the mutual respect and trust…

The Lucifer couldn't help but gloat at the fact that despite Albion's protestations, despite the curious development presented by the Host of the Red Dragon Emperor in his grown, Hoitsu was his sole and only rival.

Absurdly so, a human had managed to reach so far. Ignoring all of this 'family connection', all of this senseless talk about proper bloodlines, the young Devil was put at odds against the greatest enemy for someone with the kind of claims he had laid over the Underworld.

A prodigy against a hard-worker, a sane man against a mad one.

And that memory flared again, that crucial experience that had elevated this topic up to his main thoughts.

He could still remember that moment in time.

Even now that he was so tiredly trying to get off the training floor, his arms and legs wobbling as Vali barely stood up, his attention snatched away as he heard a familiar giggle.

"So you are finally awake, Vali?" The mirthful smile plastered on the woman's face was more than enough to force the hybrid to stand up with a tense posture, trying to portray some faux capability before the former Queen of Hell.

The redhead approached him with an interested glint in her eyes, her antiquate dress having long been replaced by a simpler but comfortable half-sleeved light-purple blouse and a knee-long white skirt.

She paused just in front of him, blinking as she quietly waited for him to stabilize a little more and _she proceeded to bash him with an annoyed look._

"You know, when someone greets you they expect you to return the favor, you brat."

Vali snorted. "The favor is regarding those that are worth the respect, you hag-"

The room turned chilly almost instantly as the woman's smile turned a sicker kind of sweet.

"Oh?" She mused quietly. "So, I'm a hag now?"

He was shivering a little and… he blinked as he realized that they were now sitting by one of the benches by the side of the fighting area, the woman holding a small box on her lap.

The pressure was released a few more moments later, Lilith giggling as she unfastened the little bow holding the box closed. "I baked a cake," She commented without input, the sudden shift in her mood putting a sense of confusion within the young man's mind.

Something was off with the curious mood-swing, but his attention was quickly taken away by the lovely fragrance coming from the chocolate cake.

The baked good had some milky icing with small flakes of vanilla spread all over it.

Why did she do-

"You have skipped dinner after you fell unconscious," The woman commented quietly. "I thought you would have liked a hearty breakfast to enjoy."

His stomach decided to rumble in that precise moment, embarrassment increasing even more at the knowing smile on the woman's face as she too heard the noise.

"I-I will take a slice."

There was no point in denying the fact that he indeed required some nourishment or he would have his body weakened by that unbalanced kind of training.

His metabolism would deal with the new fats and sweets in mere instant while also giving him some energy as he thought of his next steps.

Tomorrow was going to be the big day, the proper time for him to display his full release, his truest form and…

To finally have a real fight with Hoitsu.

Joining the tournament created and funded by the Bael Clan had been a difficult move, mostly because the clan was known to be arrogant and rather 'attached' to the idea of a pure Devil.

And since they loved Lucifer, having been his main supporters, and he was the product of a Devil and a Human it was sure going to be a nightmare to face certain annoying but politically-powerful individuals.

He took the offered fork and small plate with the slice, the first bite hovering close to his mouth before he gave it a taste.

The moment his tongue touched the texture and the sweet flavor, Vali's eyes widened in surprise and delight at the decently-made cake.

It wasn't something made by a top chef, the edges of the baked good were still overcooked and slightly-burned but the food was still good enough to enjoy in relative peace.

Lilith was smiling as she watched him react to her hand-made food, happy to know that she did it correctly and as she remembered it.

Vali mused inwardly over the ingredients, realizing that most of those were his favorites, chocolate and vanilla being the main elements he wanted to see in a sweet food baked for him and it had been just so long since he tried a proper cake.

It was smaller than one he would find at any elegant party back in the underworld but… it was well-crafted. He blinked, his tongue finally picking some familiarity within the texture and taste, something that came from the past but-

That couldn't be.

He glanced down at the plate and soon he started to realize that the 'breakfast' was awfully similar to something he had experienced many years ago.

Before his mind was troubled with the need of proving his strength, before he had to actually prove something to someone and himself.

_Before his mother died, the loving woman would make the same kind of cakes for his birthdays._

He paused for a moment, his eyes lifting up in a curious display at the silent woman and Lilith looked away, feinting innocence as she seemed to genuinely know about this little connection.

He blinked again, his mouth restraining the questions building up from within his mind as he… just wanted to enjoy that cake.

After finishing the first slice, he asked for a second, the redhead's smile widening and twitching at the polite request as she happily granted him that.

The whole calm and relax felt odd at someone like the young man, his tense shoulders were now eased and his guard was dropped the lowest in years.

He felt safe and ready to enjoy some proper rest after the intense training session of the last two days, the preparation for the tournaments concluded as he could now divert his attention to plan out the possible match-ups with the known candidates and participants.

Some had bragged about it to the entire underworld, while others had no choice but broadcast their official entering to the media present in Hell.

Diehauser Belial had accepted the challenge, the Champion of multiple RG-Related tournaments having displayed curiosity and interest in taking part at the event, citing his intention to meet with Hoitsu Sakakibara.

That final comment had stirred some irritation from within Vali, causing the Lucifer to contemplate something far more vicious in case he ended up fighting the pretentious bastard in one of the tournament's matches.

And while his mind was drowning with the thoughts about the important days that was tomorrow, the young man was completely unaware that Lilith wasn't going to keep quiet in that very moment.

"Vali," She started with a calm tone. "May I ask you about something… about Hoitsu?"

The younger Devil frowned at the sudden query, feeling confused as of why the woman would want to know anything about his rival from him of all people.

The brunet and the redhead shared a friendly relationship, so why wouldn't she directly ask to Hoitsu himself about it? Was it something that the human hadn't wanted to tell her or… was it something about him too?

He merely nodded, curiosity overcoming his initial hesitation and the former Queen didn't waste any time in delivering her true question.

"Back when we first started training, you said that you were training to beat Hoitsu," She started with a careful approach, stealing another nod from Vali. "And when I asked Hoitsu if he knew why you were like this… he said that it wasn't nothing worrying."

There was a pause, one that slowly reminded the young Lucifer of what 'nothing worrying' the human might have been talking about.

He hid an irritated frown from the woman, realizing where things were ending up and he braced for the inevitable.

"What exactly did happen to have you two… share this bond?" The redhead finally asked, her eyes blinking and sporting curiosity over the matter. "What might have caused you two to get this close and-"

"Enough." The calm imposition ended up silencing the woman mid-sentence, her eyes widened in annoyance at the sudden uncalled interruption but Vali wasn't done yet.

"I will tell you what this is about and… you_ swear_ to me that you never tell this to anyone else."

Lilith blinked at that command. "That sounds too much for-"

"_Swear it._" He repeated with a sterner tone, eyes narrowing at the former Queen.

She blinked again, confusion evident even more than before but… she conceded him a nod.

He sighed and nodded back. "This happened… I would say a few days after we had our first mission in Kyoto," The young man started to explain. "It was supposed to be a minor role that we were going to deal as the mission itself was a risky one. So much risky that even Azazel was there to oversee its success."

There was a brief pause, he sighed drawing a tired and long one.

"And the reason why Hoitsu isn't keen to speak about it is because that very day is..."

"_**We both came close to die that day."**_

* * *

**(Between Chapter 12 and 13)**

The request itself had came from Hades himself, the conditions being far from easy to accomplish as the primary task was the search and the re-seal of someone that wasn't supposed to have been let free.

Azazel having descended upon Cocytus with a large majority of the organization, most of the heads of the Cadres joining this expedition to secure the important target, the monster that was now lurking inside the deadly land.

Vali scowled behind his blue-covered mask, the hooded mantle giving him little cover from the horrible cold that was so endlessly spread out in that Ice Hell deep inside the Realm of Dead.

Many others were suffering his same situation, even the now-irritated Hekishoku was coming to terms with the fact that magical flames didn't help in deterring the glacial weather persisting in that lower section of the Underworld.

Magic had little effect in fighting back this kind of eternal storm, the only means to keeping their bodies warm were the small seals that Shemhazai himself had provided with his own squadron to the rest of the division dispatched to this little crusade to find where the greatest prisoner of this section of this Realm was hiding.

It wasn't difficult to understand that there was only one possible suspect and… Vali couldn't certainly deny that a minor sense of dread and hesitation had taken hold on his chest, driven by Albion's numerous warnings over the individual they were meant to return back to its limited state.

Samael was considered to be something similar to Lucifer himself in terms of infamy and brutality, the reasons behind his Fall (which is considered the First Fall ever recorded) being related to his undeniable influence in having both Adam and Eve to consume the Apple of Knowledge.

He was the main reason why God harbored a strong hatred against Dragons and snakes, the reason why Christianity itself saw the two kind of animals as Devil-related monsters that had to be hunted down and killed.

Several Hosts of Dragon-made Sacred Gears were killed, torched or burned in stakes, condemned to a painful demise for several centuries and forcing a large population composed by Supernatural beings from other Pantheons to find refuge in small communities away from mundane people.

The perfect example being the wizards living in Europe, their lifestyle having reached a comfortable level of detachment from mankind as a whole.

But God's hatred towards Samael wasn't truly as unjust as it might appear, the former Angel having deserved this punishment if not worse for the creature he ended up becoming.

He reneged his connection with Dragons after decades of suffering, his new meaning of life being the full extermination of his former passion, his initial love for Dragon-kind.

His Curse Poison being more than enough to kill a High-Level Dragon in mere hours, the Fallen Monster having this substance running through his whole body and rendering him an effective predator to any kind of Dragons, may them be normal ones or Sacred Gears Hosts.

That is why, despite the assurance from Baraqiel and Azazel that he would be ignored because his scent would be masked by the storm, his nerves were still tense and his guard was ready to spring into action the moment he noticed even a glimpse of the horrible fiend wandering those icy wastelands.

The only thing that was far worse to endure, at least early on, was the constant whining coming from Hekishoku.

The human piped in every few minutes, his chatty mouth and his chattering teeth creating quite the irritating individual to be dealing with right now of all times.

Seriously, why would Baraqiel think that teaming someone like the moron with him would make him improve and grow? Why would Azazel even think of accepting this ridiculous proposal?!

Another proof that Grigori was far more flawed than he had learned it to be, that the organization was far too bloated in its administration to be considered a preferable place where the young Lucifer could have fostered his successful path to glory.

He had heard of a new group rising up with interesting individuals, strong individuals and his first impression about them had been… lame.

Kuroka, the dark-haired Nekoshou responsible for the extermination of a High-Level Devil and his peerage, had been responsible for the crucial role of try to kidnap the brat related to the leader of the Yokai faction sited in Kyoto.

Yasaka had been quite adamant from making step forwards at first with the dialogues, the woman expressing distrust regarding the past dealings afforded by Grigori and her hesitation had almost costed him his first diplomatic failure.

_And then Hekishoku came along._

The human (his scent was human and there was no way in Hell that he wasn't one) had literally waltzed in, befriended the little girl and avoided her capture by someone that was leagues beyond him.

A mere rookie, someone that had little experience on the field, had somehow subverted a visible losing situation for Grigori, bringing up a strong connection between Japanese Yokais and the group led by Azazel.

The victory had guaranteed some more time to think and train, away from Kyoto's unbearable appearance and the limitations imposed by the mission itself, but Vali could hardly consider this a victory to call his.

It was the human's, a _weak _and _inexperienced_ human that had somehow pulled an incredible miracle because of his dumb luck and granted success to the group silver-haired youth was affiliated to.

Annoyance barely fitted with the stinging sensation he felt at remembering what had happened, the aftermath being perceived far more bitter than sweet to the young Lucifer as his presence here had been superfluous and useless to the cause.

So the irritation was boiling up as Hekishoku continued to annoy with his complaining, his voice reminding him of something strident and infuriating that just existed to be the bane of his existence.

But before the culmination of his fury could be even touched, the entire column of Grigori members stopped, everyone pausing as the leading section had ordered to stop, saying nothing else but-

Stop.

Everyone tensed up as some distant noises coming from numerous meters away, right where the head of the column was, started to increase and get easier to understand.

Moments of uncertainty passed as it became more and more clear that they had ended up encountering something dangerous…_ that was making its way quickly towards them._

Hekishoku was the first to recover, starting to order the magicians assigned to their squads to prepare some traps as whatever monster was coming their way, it had to be stopped and killed if possible.

A tall order from a rookie but, despite the clear difference in ranks and experience, several members nodded in agreement and started to prepare some spells either by their palms or with their staffs.

Restless seconds passed, the noise of brutal fighting increasing more and more and… then he appeared.

Jumping up above, Samael roared angrily towards Vali.

His upper body was human-looking, his face covered with a blindfold from which tears of blood dropped from underneath; his inhuman-looking fangs and his lower-body that resembled an Eastern Dragon giving him the sense of monstrosity-

"DRAGON!" The former Angel demanded in an angry fit, rushing towards the partially-paralyzed Vali.

The intense energy erupting from that being, the hatred and pressure exerted by it being something that far exceeded anything he had ever experienced before in his life.

Not even Rizevim had been this bloodthirsty and-

"NOW!" Hekishoku roared back, the loud order was met with the quick execution of multiple volleys of explosive spells rushed at the approaching fiend, the bright spectacle that ensued creating a large earthquake that sent Vali recoiling numerous meters away from his initial position.

The explosive greeting was enough to get his brain to reboot and return his attention at the threat at hand, handing him several options in how to deal with this.

Even Albion's voice was concerned, the White Dragon surely perceiving the murderous intent expressed by the Dragon-hating Samael, but the real issue was that nothing here could genuinely maim him for long.

In fact, the mere peace that ensued lasted moments as the former Angel rushed vengefully towards the ones responsible for the failure of his early push.

The clawed dragonic feet tore easily through the cloaks of the various members of Fallen Angels and Magicians trying to either return the offense or stall the monster even for a moment.

Nothing was working, either the damage inflicted would vanish because of its regeneration or the stalling efforts were replied with more vehemence from the infuriated predator, slashing and cutting through his preys without mercy nor restraint.

Hekishoku was the only one managing to avoid most of the damage, some of his cloak being targeted as his speed barely kept up with Samael's unrelenting assault and his Silver Linings slowing down just enough the monstrous efforts exerted by this fiend for just killing a single individual.

"STAY STILL!"

"Make me?!" The human shot back with a snark, his palm forming a white orb that the young man was ready to throw at the fiend but, before he could cock his aim at the approaching creature, the serpentine tail suddenly whipped swiftly forwarding and slammed at the growing sphere.

The explosion sending Hekishoku flying a little feet, his cloak tearing even more as the cold started to finally form some ice on his now-exposed pants and shirt.

"Funny!" The former Angel called out loudly but emotionlessly. "And now you are mine!"

The tail quickly coiled around the human's neck, lifting his freezing body up as to stare at his mask.

"Any other sarcastic comeback, you fool? Do you wish to delay my rightful vengeance again?"

Hekishoku _tilted_ his head in confusion. "Are you dumb?"

Before the monster could reply, electricity started to course out of the human's hands and, through the entire serpentine body, reached Samael's human-looking section.

Pain-riddled yelps and roars ensued; The monster slammed without hesitation his aggressor to the ground, something cracked as Hekishoku started to cough and tremble as the ice was finally building up once again.

Freed from the electric torture, the former Angel didn't hesitate to lift his tail and rush it down towards the downed human, ready to end the life of this annoying pest once and for all-

But despite the intrigue of being left partner-less and be given freedom away from that irritating bug, Vali couldn't certainly allow Samael to have any reprieve now that he was exposed.

His Balance Breaker was already in full display as he pushed his wings to their own limits, his armor slamming on the unsuspecting beast and sending him flying away with him, his plan of attack fairly simple.

By using Divine Dividing on a constant pattern on the creature's regenerative factor, the monstrous fiend was left exposed to be pummeled by some quick and unforgiving punches and kicks, giving him the best chance of disabling this threat before the situation could escalate to a worse degree.

This 'flawless' tactic lasted for about a full minute of endless attacking, never giving reprieve to his opponent as his punches and kicks started to render him tired and sore the more he overshot his attacks.

Then Samael managed to sneak one of his human hands on his scale mail, interrupting his beating and giving the monster the chance of recovering in the insanest way possible.

Slamming his head on Vali's Balance Breaker, the Lucifer was quick to feel the searing pain coming from a _pair of fangs sinking on his shoulder_.

He yelped in pain, his concentration disrupted as the poison started to enter inside his body, the effects immediate as his Scale Mail broke suddenly; leaving him to face the now-smirking Samael.

"You thought that a filthy Dragon like you could truly kill me?" His dry chuckle barely getting a reaction, Vali's brain burning as he tried to keep awake, his body fighting the poison the best possible but-

"I bet you want to fight even now that you are close to death," The monster sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Truly, you foul creatures are the worst and most disgusting fiends in this world."

The beast's human hands reached for his neck through the cloak, squeezing strongly at his neck and getting a gasp out of the Lucifer.

W-Was this his ultimate end?

Was this how- how he died? Against a bastard like Samael?

His sight started to darken, blurring as the poison continued to shattering the last resistance left in his body and pushing him to his last stand.

There was no strength, only trembling and suffering.

Everything burned, nothing felt fine as even the cold felt coarse on his skin; a sign his nerves were collapsing and-

A loud explosion ripped into the insane-looking fiend, the smoke reaching around him as he fell on the ground, the chokehold broken and his body now painfully lying on the cold snow.

Before Samael could react to the sudden attack, a beam of light-_no, thousands of Silver Lining rushed at his frame._ The immense quantity was enough to keep him stuck still and soon the strings began tightening and cutting through its skin, the slow process was then concluded by his body being chopped up and electrified for several moments.

His shrieks of fear and pain lasted for a some time and soon, the carbonized but still regenerating monster fell unconscious on the floor, twitching once or twice in a while as it suffered a… seizure.

A figure crouched beside Vali's dying body, frantically whispering as hands started to pull him closer to a somewhat cooler sensation, some pressure now exercised right by the bite holes left on his neck.

He felt growing limp, his eyes now unfocused as he felt the last essence of life vanishing before his eyes and… and maybe he could now go and see her, down below.

There was silence, there was peace and… he stopped hurting.

Moments of quiet passed, Vali's eyes blinking slowly as pain seemed to… have never existed, his body now reacting to the sensations properly but still heightened by the inflamed nerves recovering from the poison and-

**Thud**

His eyes quickly noticed the figure falling on the floor, Albion's screams finally blasting him off from his reverie as the situation slowly started to appear clearer much to his surprise and dread.

Breathing in pain, the partly ice-covered Hekishoku was struggling to keep up, his skin pale and his Core… close to be dried up by the experience.

The mask had survived, some cracks on it but nothing coming out of it and… Vali was mesmerized by the sight.

To see the human, aching here in front of him after he had neutralized Samael and… saved him.

Hekishoku, the weak human, _the useless and insufferable moron,_ had saved him from certain death.

He blinked, he scowled and he wished to ignore all of this but-

But he was already on his feat, the young Lucifer slowly bringing the human in his hold and… he pushed him inside his cloak. With the moron's own cloak shredded, it was a miracle he hadn't died at the Ice Hell's exposure.

From the darkening fingertips, the young Devil couldn't help but flinch at the sign of poison, the idiot having surely used one of his spells to get the poison inside his body, purging it from the white-haired Lucifer's body.

He glanced at the carbonized living corpse with a sneer, his Balance Breaker reforming as he used Half Dimension to reduce the size of the pieces and put them in a magical bubble attached to him.

Without wasting further time, Vali _jumped_ and he soared furiously through the sky as his wings tore through the endless storm. His destination being right where Azazel was supposed to be.

Time was short and _he didn't have the patience to arrive too late!_

* * *

**Present…**

"After making sure he was healed and put to safety, I was given a strong lecture from Azazel," Vali continued to speak. "The man was furious for my decision to jump into action, to not organize a group retaliation instead of rushing individually at Samael."

Lilith sighed and nodded, waiting for his grandchild to explain the rest of the final part.

"Baraqiel was irritated too but… he was grateful that I had jumped in when I had the chance," He concluded with a sigh. "All in all… I did end up almost dead because of my own arrogance."

"Only for arrogance?" The woman questioned with a frown. "I think you are missing something important from this event, Vali. Something that is more than mere 'arrogance'."

The young man frowned. "I was too cocky-"

"And you paid the price, yes," The former Queen interjected. "But what if the reason that had you jump in that very moment wasn't arrogance? Why didn't you jump earlier if it was arrogance?"

The silver-haired Devil blinked and opened his mouth… only to close it up in self-confusion, for the first time in a long time he felt doubtful about that very life-changing event.

"You gave your life away, but it wasn't selfishness that drove you to face this gamble," Lilith stated with utter determination. "It was compassion. It was altruism."

"What?"

"If you were arrogant and unwilling to accept help, you would have left Hoitsu to die the moment you were up and running," The woman admitted with a sigh. "You weren't given the duty of keeping an eye out for him, nor were you responsible for his survival. You could have lied, but you decided to save him."

"It was a debt-"

"That wasn't forced upon you," The redhead interrupted with a snort. "You weren't coerced to help him against your wishes,_ you were urged by something within you._"

"I- I'm not a-"

"Good person?" She shook her head and smiled brightly. "You are one of the best ones I've ever met."

"I-I'm a Devil, my father was a pureblooded Devil-"

"And your mother was a kind human woman," Lilith shot back with a snort, ignoring the fact that the young man had gone tense at the mentioning of his mother.

"Someone that cared for you even at the weakest, that gave you hope even in the worst cases. I've… I've sought the house you used back when..." She sighed, pausing just for a moment to recollect. "I've found a diary, it was hers and..."

Vali's eyes widened as he found himself staring at a small book, the woman slowly opening the last page and pointing at the words written there.

It was a message, a curt but well-written message that was left for-

_**To my baby boy, my strong child and… my last hope,**_

_**This could be considered my last will to you, my legacy I wish to rest upon your shoulders as a grand mantle to wear with pride and just righteousness.**_

_**I can say so much about my truest wishes about your future; I wish for you to become important, to have the best chance at life, to have a happy family and so much more.**_

_**But then I wouldn't be correct towards your own desires, towards your own chance at the world and…**_

_**That is why I will make sure to be quick but concise with what I wish from you.**_

_**I wish that you, my little Vali, learn to find real happiness from the world.**_

_**To find friends, to find a family, to find someone that truly matters to you and that never lets you go in the worst cases.**_

_**I wish you to be compassionate, to be humble and… that you live the best of lives.**_

_**I wish to tell you more, I wish to bring out more of the love I have for you, my son…**_

_**But time is scarce and this might be the last time I gift you something.**_

_**My legacy, for you to use at your caution and freedom…**_

_**It's compassion.**_

_**May you enjoy a brighter life and find love.**_

_**Goodbye, my lovely child.**_

The diary started to crumple up a little, his hand tightening its hold over the page. It wasn't enough to tear it but… then he saw the first tear drop on the paper.

A moment passed and soon more tears started to fall, forcing the now shaken individual to close the book and hide his expression with his free hand.

Lilith smiled sadly and slowly reached out her arm around his shoulders, bringing him close to her and hugging him a little.

Vali was silent, but the tears couldn't just resist to fall even more and the redhead wasn't going to tease him for doing so.

_**After all, can't a Devil be human too?**_

* * *

**AN**

**Any comment about Vali's representation here? I think this is a major point to his character's development.**

**Not the zenith, but something that accentuate the final lap to reach the conclusion of his growth.**

**As always, constructive criticism is more than welcome and… See you soon!**

_**Future milestone 1: 1080 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**


	82. It's all about Protagonists

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 79: It's all about Protagonists**

* * *

The Underworld was currently rumbling with excitement as the first day of the tournament proclaimed by the Bael clan was soon to begin.

The massive coliseum that was going to be used to host the grand event was a great building that showed incredible care from the various technicians and servants working constantly to keep the services within the place running with a smooth pace.

Many strong magicians were summoned to create several protective spells, seals and other magical defenses to perfectly render the tournament devoid of any external or even internal issues from anyone wanting to sabotage the event for the sake of some advantage with the brewing war.

Zekram had been careful if not polite to make sure to invite most of the deities that were part of the Coalition to spectate the competition while also sending some of their best heroes.

I was of course one of the invited 'competitors' so I didn't have to actually sign up to the list, but I was given the opportunity to look as the signing operation begin and I wasn't alone in that part of the large room assigned to such task.

Kunou was chatting quietly with Koneko, Maria, Ophis and Lith from one of the corners, well-hidden by the other adults chatting around. Of course the two Infinity Dragons were not going to join this endeavor, their safety being considered well-above risking them from going berserk or… get kidnapped.

Everyone was here, even Sona with her peerage, Issei and Asia.

Kuroka and Akeno had decided to pass out from taking part to the tournament as they didn't want to bring attention to their current selves, either for their unpleasant pasts or for their unique natures bringing some unwanted attention.

Akua and Mio were eager to try out this opportunity, ready to give their best performance as to keep up with the expectations the two had set with their recent development.

Vali was here too, but the young Lucifer was spending most of his time either speaking with Lilith or the rest of his team about whom wanted to join this event.

Mob and the Espers had deemed it right to joining, not ready to take in this dangerous activity as their vitality would have barely kept up with the rest of the Devils and Demi-gods joining these battles.

Baki had surprisingly accepted the offer, but only because his father had been more than pleased to accept the chance of proving his worth against many mighty beings in that single place.

Yujiro Hanma looked immensely elated, eyes almost ready to pop out of his sockets at the awe and wonder displayed within his brain and outwardly on his mad-looking grin. There was sure enough challenge to see him drown in his own battle-lust.

Xenovia was here too, but the blue-haired girl barely left the safety allowed by Sona's peerage, a strange nervous look plastered on her face.

The swordswoman was slightly afraid of the crowd composing most of the room as she was one of the few humans taking part to this competition, but I had been the one to tell her earlier that day that she had little to truly worry about.

Even though she hadn't mastered Excalibur's base form to the same degree only Artoria could have, I was positive that her current progress would have allowed her to face most of the possible opponents lingering around.

But while the pep-talk did left her convinced of her chances of success, her current uneasiness wasn't one questioning her abilities.

Rather she was feeling a little miffed by the lack of Gaspar, Valerie and Mathias.

The trio had decided to skip the tournament, the sole human wanting to just train more his current skills than having to compete with his life at stake and, where Mathias went so would Valerie and Gaspar.

And that wasn't certainly something I could certainly help her up much except gracing her with some positive comments to assuage her own worries.

The quiet of that morning was brought to an end the moment the counter that was assigned to take in the signing of the various interested candidates started with quite the familiar group to the DxD Canon.

The Norse Pantheon was here with Odin leading happily the entourage to the main counter, a slightly embarrassed but well-armored Rossweisse was standing by his side as they confirmed her participation to the tournament.

The white-haired woman spared a glance towards our general directions and snapped her sight away the moment she noticed that I had noticed her little attempt, causing her to hasten her pace to retreat away from the spotlight with a visibly-amused Odin on tow.

Soon, many other important gods joined the line to sign their own heroes to the competition, either their own children or 'surrogate' ones that had been trained by said deities.

The line was a long one and some hours of relative peace went by as the official initiation continued restlessly to give papers around for people to sign on.

Devils with peerage, Devils without peerage, high-level, low-tier and… finally it was _her_ turn.

_**To think that she would come here of all places.**_

I had to put an effort to hide the sudden bout of tension springing my shoulders stiff as I glanced at the familiar girl with a hawk-like stare.

_Why is she here? Shouldn't she be confined until-_

_**I think it might be a plot from Zekram, he would have the power to slightly alter the decision behind her punishment.**_

_...What? How?_

_**Think about it. If he bring Rias here, many are going to come here at the tournament for the sake of seeing her 'return to society'. It would be an economical success and…**_

_And?_

_**I think he is doing it to irritate you. He wants you angry and he wants you to give 'your 100%'.**_

_I'm sure going to be careful then…_

Rias Gremory willingly ignoring my glance as she carefully walked towards the counter, the red-haired young woman was escorted by her brother, Sirzechs looking fairly uneasy at first as people started to speak about her presence here.

Some were irritated, but some voices were quick to throw some half-whispered insults towards here. It was mostly those living in the Underworld, most of the other Pantheons minding little about her as she went to sign her own name on the common contract.

But while she did so, I couldn't help but notice something different about her.

Not only was Rias looking incredibly confident, but her posture had dropped out from the petite and princess-like pace she had prior to being exiled in her home.

Her pace was physically active, her whole body was moving with a certain elegance but said element was disrupted by the careful tension going through her entire figure.

Yet that was but just the tip of the iceberg about the changes the redhead had gone through.

_**Her hair.**_

I blinked and noticed almost a little later that the change 'seemed' limited but it was immense knowing the pride the girl had over her strands of destiny.

Her haircut was mostly the same, except the length which they would end to, no longer by the end of her lower back but right by the middle of her back.

_Her clothes._

She wasn't wearing the suit I had seen her in last time, rather she was wearing a half-sleeved red top that seemed to well-fit with her figure, a pair of fingerless gloves on her hands. A pair of black pants ended right with a pair of dark-red sport shoes.

That was a battle-wear for sure, not anything flashy to show off.

I could feel in her magic that something had changed. The unique strands of the Power of Destruction was tamer than usual, more subdued and… more under control compared to before.

Gone was the dense storm in the making, instead I was witnessing the legendary 'thunder in a bottle' and the owner of this very bottle was going to be an unpredictable and seriously dangerous foe to face during the competition.

'**What about her chest?**'

_...Really?_

'**I'm referring to her size, she manipulated it.**'

I did spare just a glance at the detail and I was quick to realize what Apophis was referring to, something a little different from the simple perverted joke I thought he was making.

Her chest had been… reduced. It wasn't noticeable at first because of her clothes taking more attention from me, but I was surprised by this sudden change from her part.

Devils were vain beings, it was a condition that existed subconsciously and it has to act even just a little in the shaping and formation of young Devils.

Rias could indeed alter her appearance, but her decision had gotten me quite confused and stunned early on.

It was when the shock subsided that logic gave me the best and possible guess about the current situation.

The girl had taken notice that her own abundant modesty did cause some major issues during fights and had decided to reduce it just enough to allow her more speed while also limiting the attention on her to something a little more manageable.

Surely a temporary solutions for battling rather than a life-changing opportunity, yet it was still enough to warrant some respect out of it.

Maybe everything she had done could be said to be warranting my respect, her improvements clearly dignifying the fact she wasn't here just to make an appearance, but to genuinely compete against others in this tournament.

She wasn't arrogant, I could see it in her eyes as she finally glanced my way, a brief daring look before she resumed her walk back to the other end of the room, her orbs sporting a resolute and determined glint of hope.

This Rias Gremory wasn't… going to be an easy opponent. Of that I was now fully aware of.

Just as the redhead got out of my sight, I turned my attention to Issei and… I found the brunet looking at me with an uneasy look.

Asia was blissfully unaware of what had just happened as she was having a pleasant conversation with a now nervous looking Akeno as the older girl had actually seen what was going on with the loud whispering all around.

The Himejima noticed that I was looking at her way and she gave a confused look over what had just happened, her mind conflicting over what she should think of what had just transpired.

The girl was rightful in being unable to bring out a proper reaction, but I guess that it had to be somewhat hurtful to be this indecisive about how she would have to deal with her former King.

"So, that is little Rias?" Lilith asked as she approached me, her eyes still looking right where the fellow redhead had gone away to. "I can see some resemblance with Sirzechs, but she looks… a little more like Sapphire back when she was that age."

I turned at the woman and blinked. "She changed a lot since last time I've seen her, I didn't expect her to-"

"Improve this much?" The former Queen guessed with a hum. "I guess that you aren't even aware of why she is even here."

I frowned. "And you do?" I countered back, getting a little smile out of her much to my surprise.

"Why, I think that is a simple supposition to make," The red-haired woman replied. "She is here to find forgiveness."

"I told her that I wouldn't give her that kind of peace," I commented without hesitation. "She warranted my own contempt and the ones she should really work to ask for forgiveness should be Asia and Issei-"

"But I think you are missing something about this very predicament that you yourself should know well about," Lilith hummed quietly, red eyes sporting some curiosity. "Weren't you the one giving her assistance over that arranged marriage issue in exchange of 'peace', the very help she shunned by trying to get that ludicrous deal from Diodora?"

I tensed a little at the mentioning of the now-deceased bastard, my eyes narrowing at the curious query she had just forwarded.

"Yes, I did help her at first and-"

"Forgive me if I interrupt you here, but I wish to ask you if that also broke the trust you had with her?" Lilith pressed on. "Did that sudden development bring or not the end of some 'treaty' of sort?"

I blinked, my mind grasping just a little of her comment. "You mean to tell me that, she is trying to-"

"Mend the broken bridge, the first of many." The former Queen admitted with a sigh. "While that wouldn't do much over the lovely blonde and the easy-to-tease brunet, I reckon that it would be the first true step towards her redemption."

"So why isn't she even trying to talk to me if this was the case?" I poked at her guess. "Why wouldn't she just-"

"Forgive me again," The woman interrupted again. "But you did also say that she did already ask for forgiveness from you, didn't she?"

I slowly nodded, starting to feel fairly uneasy at how much the woman was quickly dismantling the thought behind Rias' current attempt at seeking forgiveness.

"Then why would she want to waste time with senseless and empty air when she can easily prove it to you with a fight?"

I frowned at that, blinking at the blunt reasoning. "But fighting wouldn't-"

"It would prove a change from her part," She interjected once again. "That little Rias is finally walking towards a brighter route compared to the little potential growth she would attained by keeping her ways."

"So… this is going to be a thing? Really?" I questioned, drawing a brief chuckle out of her.

"T-Truly easy to convince, aren't you?"

I snorted at that mirthful query.

"Are you kidding?" I half-asked back to her. "You literally steam-rolled any attempt to debunk this theory coming from me, so I don't think easy fits well with-"

"**Attention, the competitors are requested to take position by the section of the seats left to them. The first round will start soon. I repeat-**"

I turned at the sudden warning, ready to end the discussion here but the woman decided to throw just one last thing before letting me go.

"Good luck with Vali, sonny~." She smiled widely and I blinked at that.

"You meant 'the competition', rig-"

"No, I meant Vali, sweetie," Lilith giggled as she pushed me towards the direction where the other participants were going. "He sure is going to make sure to end up fighting you, one way or another."

I decided to leave this curious statement for later as I did follow the instructions as to where to exactly go and, as I entered the slightly smaller room with multiple chairs that gave to the large battle arena, I ended up taking a seat close to the aforementioned Lucifer as the rest were taken by the rest of the participants.

The silver-haired young man glanced my way briefly before silently nodding and turning his attention right at the large screen above the arena displaying all the individual pictures of the various competitors.

Soon the monitor went dark, only to display for some moments 'Round 1' in pure white letters.

The words disappeared as two enlarged photos appeared on the electronic billboard, a 'Vs' dividing the two and showing whom was going to fight for the first match.

The first one I recognized was… Issei.

The young brunet standing out of his seat and already walking towards the small staircase that led to the arena and he was followed moments later by his opponent.

My jaws dropped as I saw a familiar dark-haired man smiling, a shadow-like dog keeping by his side as he followed the young Host of the Red Dragon to the setting of their fight, my brain having to reboot as I connected dots.

_**It would seem that the first fight will be a 'Protagonist vs Protagonist' scenario, eh?**_

_That would seem the case, yes._

I let my eyes widen in surprise as Tobio Ikuse looked genuinely interested at the younger man that he was supposed to have a battle with.

Part of me contemplated if the leader of Slash Dog was aware or not that Issei wasn't certainly going to be a breeze, especially with his Boosted Gear capable of giving him a strong Balance Breaker and semi-Juggernaut Drive.

The two took position, the arbiter being a young woman I couldn't recognize appearing as a hologram by the fighters' side and… she started to count.

"5, 4, 3."

Issei smiled nervously, his Boosted Gear appearing on his arm.

"2."

Tobio returned the smile with a smirk, his magic already bubbling act in preparation.

"1."

I blinked, feeling excited for this glorious moment and-

"Start!"

_**It began, the two rushing at each other, ready to prove their worth against another!**_

* * *

**~Issei's POV~**

Keeping up with the speed displayed by the clearly-more experienced Sacred Gear Host, Issei was definitively understanding why Baraqiel-sensei had praised so much the young man he was facing first in this tournament.

Tobio Ikuse, former student to the Nephilim Institute, Leader of one of the best-known squad in Grigori (Team SLASH/DOG) and holder of Canis Lykaon.

This Sacred Gear was mostly unknown to him, only that Baraqiel had deemed it capable of fending off the Boosted Gear and that Hoitsu-senpai had held off against it when it had gone berserk.

Nothing much, but still enough to offer him a scope of the potential of said inner ability.

Sadly, this was hardly going to matter if the brunet didn't manage to retaliate with the current disadvantage imposed by the flexibility displayed by the 'Bartender'.

Friendly as he might look to be, Tobio-san was indeed holding little against him and the punches that managed to get through his defense were starting to sting on his skin even though was a Devil.

Magical-wise, Issei's core was very close to the quantity coming from the full human, something that meant a lot considering how much training he had gone through to reach this level.

His reserves had been rather low in his early days as a Devil, something that had been as annoying as the fact he had been a 'Pawn' to _her_ peerage.

Then he was sent to train with Baraqiel, Asia joining him with a minor focus compared to his much-needed growth in terms of power.

Being a Devil and having something as powerful as the Red Dragon Emperor as his Sacred Gear, the brunet was put to hell and back for the sake of bringing out the vast potential held within himself and his inner ability.

Stress, fatigue and blood were major variables in the month that saw him delving in preparation for something this huge to happen.

While his interest over ladies 'in that specific way' was mostly gone, his childish intrigue over epic and flashy fights hadn't never left him alone.

He could still remember when he had fought with Vali against Kokabiel, or rather 'steamrolled' the Fallen Angel until he ceased to be a menace to the world; the experience had been annoyingly disappointing, mostly because the preparation had been 'overkill' against the threat that was the now-deceased rogue member of Grigori.

Then he had gone in Tokyo, fighting against numerous low-tier monsters attacking civilians without hesitation nor mercy.

That defense did bring him some satisfaction as he was saving innocent lives while also dealing with the horde of fiends attacking the capital of the nation.

Fast-forward to now, after weeks of difficult training… Issei was genuinely happy that he was actually doing _this well _against someone as old as Tobio.

The human didn't have the same means to grow so quickly, but what he couldn't make in terms of power and magic, he did with ingenuity and cleverness.

Two elements that were now helping the Hyoudou build up some resistance against the exchange dominated by the man, enough to provide him time to think and plan out something to counter this one-sided fight.

He huffed as he silently and suddenly gained a **Boost**, something that seemed to catch by surprise the dark-haired fellow as one of the punches finally bypassed his own guards.

The impact was enough to create some distance, enough for Issei to drop momentarily the boost and reset the counter without suffering from the drain imposed by the improvement.

It was something that just a few holders of the Sacred Gear had been able to do in the past, the full mastery of the **Boost** determined by a 'clear mind over unwavering emotions', or being capable of steeling their own minds before the intensity of some situations.

The pressure was palpable this close on, Tobio truly feeling like a giant to face this soon but… he had to try.

At least for his friends and… Asia.

The mere mentioning of the blonde's name was enough to renew Issei's determination as his opponent appeared to be coated in shadows, only to become something similar to a bipedal wolf-like monster of darkness.

A shroud of negativity reached towards him and it clicked on his mind what he was looking as as numerous black swords and several small-sized wolves started to rush towards him.

It was his Balance Breaker, he mused quickly before bringing up his Scale Mail.

With his dragonic wings in full display, the boy didn't hesitate to use them to boost his greater speed, swiftly engaging both blades and animals before those could pile up against him.

His first intervention granted him some relief as it seemed to push Tobio to rush to the rescue of his support, giving him the chance of capitalizing at the sudden closeness of his opponent.

He boosted thrice, his body now feeling some strain as he started to exploit the immediate shock at his aggressive stance, pushing the older Sacred Gear holder to a more defensive approach.

Breaching his guard, Issei punched and kicked without restraint as he was aware of the full extent of his opponent's power, what kind of incredible magnitude it had once the user started to get serious.

He just had to keep the wolf-like foe stunned and unbalanced while he landed as much damage as possible, hopefully getting to bring him to a frail enough state to conclude this match.

But just like a certain Murphy would say, plans do tend to fail at first contact and his little hope was crushed the moment he felt a snarl and his last punch didn't cause any visible reaction out of his opponent.

Eyes widened, Issei jumped back and away as Tobio brought up a scimitar-like blade to strike him but only ending up nicking part of his armored arms.

_Time to bring up the big guns._

A small orb of red energy formed in front of his closed palm, his fist slamming against it and directing it at the irritated man as a beam of pure magical energy erupted from the sphere.

The wave slammed quickly against Tobio, surprising the foe just momentarily as he was soon pushed even further away from the recovering youth.

Yet, despite the intensity of the attack, the more-experienced fighter managed to jump away from the trajectory of the beam, rushing swiftly against Issei as the boy prepared another **Dragon Shot.**

The attack blitzed once again, its intensity mesmerizing but failing to land on the more cautious foe, Tobio jumping by the side and disappearing in a blur.

The brunet had just enough time to blink as he found a snarling bipedal monster slamming its fist onto his mask, creating some cracks on it and sending him slamming on the ground.

There was just a brief moment of calm before the Balance Breaker of Canis Lykaon prepared to claw at his armor and Issei decided to intervene quickly by deploying an experimental technique he had developed thanks to Baraqiel's teaching.

Since Ddraig was a dragon, the boy could theoretically make use of the intense flames available to natural-born dragons thanks to his Boosted Gear. The Balance Breaker gave him even more of a chance of succeeding as he was given some dragonic resilience to fire.

The technique was fairly complex in details as it required utmost attention and concentration, something that the safety of the training grounds allowed but the current instance hardly favored.

He had to close his eyes, ignore the _giant scary fiend ready to claw at him_, to truly find the focus required by the complicated move.

By inhaling some air to fill his lungs, Issei would then create a fire within his stomach with his own magic; using **Tranfer **and **Boost**, he would then increase the power and intensity of the flame before breathing out the now condensed flame out of his mouth.

It was experimental as he wasn't truly a Dragon, the only resistance to fire being the one allowed by the Boosted Gear (in minor role) and from his own Balance Breaker

The **Flame Blaze** erupted brightly out of his lips, he could taste the fiery blast breaching out from his throat and reaching out to his opponent.

It slammed onto the Wolf's unsuspecting chest, a yelp leaving its 'lips' as the flame got him flying up above ground for some time, piercing through his Balance Breaker and causing some non-negligible damage before the brunet was forced to let go of the technique.

He felt his breath labored as Tobio dropped back on the ground a few meters away from him, the shadows dropping as he knelt for a moment in clear pain.

His clothes were damaged, his shirt ruined as burns were now present on his now visible chest, a good sign that the gamble actually paid off.

Issei dropped off the Scale Mail, his visor too cracked to allow some proper sight over the battle and his body strained a little by the experimental ability.

His throat felt hoarse and his stomach was hurting slightly as he slowly got up from the ground and prepared to make good use of his current 5 **Boosts.**

Rushing towards the weakened Tobio, the boy expected to conquer victory in that very moment as the man seemed to barely realize the incoming punch, eyes widening in little panic at the sudden offensive.

But before the brunet could ever get too close to the weakened foe, a snarl alerted him of some danger and he was forced to divert away as a _large wolf-dog tried to cleave him with a scimitar_.

The creature made by shadows was snarling at him, the blade held tightly in its maws, ready to deal some damage to the surprised young man.

The beast returned to the assault, this time its speed proving to be far too intense for Issei as some cuts started to form on his shirt and pants, a small flesh injury appearing on his cheek as he tried and failed to steer away the endless cutting he was enduring.

His body groaned at the strain he had to deal with until now, but the student decided to go a step higher and deliver the sixth **Boost.**

New energy, a newer drain adding to this increasing weariness as he finally got through the swift offensive-defensive nature of the wolf's stance.

Soon, the battle seemed to take a sharp turn towards a true end to the match as a kick managed to land by the head, forcing the familiar to drop the sword, while a followup got to push the beast away to recover.

The shadow-dog whined in pain and before it could jump back in action, its wobbly leg showing that the last attack did leave it with a concussion, the mutt was stopped by the silent gesture of its wounded user.

Tobio held its hands up in surrender. "I-I think this is enough," He shook his head, a small smile appearing as Issei nodded at him. "T-To think that you were going to be this tough… Hyoudou-san."

The Boosts were all dropped in that precise moment, relief and fatigue reaching out for the brunet as the young man smiled at the words. "T-Too kind, Ikuse-san."

The bartender smiled back. "T-Tobio," He said as he was slowly helped up by the brunet and Jin. "Y-You may call me Tobio-"

"Then p-please, call me Issei, Tobio-san." The youth interjected tiredly, drawing a bigger smile from the nodding man as they both retired to the stands, medics ready with bandages and Phoenix Tears.

Their ears at that point were deafened by the roaring of the people excited by the concluded battle, the monitor returning to life as it displayed the 'highlights' of the fight before announcing Issei as the winner of that match.

"**Winner of the First Round, Issei Hyoudou.**"

The spectators roared once again, everyone praising both brawlers as they retreated away and the second match prepared to be delivered.

As Issei left a thankful Tobio to the medics, he glanced at the large screen as he walked up the stairs, his attention taken by surprise as the next match-up was proclaimed.

He would have expected the match to be about someone that truly wasn't attached to their group so that he could enjoy some fights without having to worry about any of his friends.

But fate is a cruel thing and what ensued was indeed… stunning.

"**Second Round! Kunou Sakakibara vs Rossweisse!**"

_This- This could really make things awkward and… explosive…_

_**Oh fuck.**_

* * *

**AN**

**Ise is a smart boy, he is here to delight people by going for a full fight with the protagonist of the second franchise written by Ishibumi (DxD being actually the third).**

**Rias is here too and boy, oh boy, she will make some mincemeat of her opponents!**

**A hint for next chapter? Well, I can think of just one: **_**Do you believe in Gravity?**_

**Lastly, I want to give a shootout to ****Siegfried XIII**** and his story ****RWBY: Glyphed Swordsman****. Truly an amazing story and I'm more than honored that it was inspired by Magical Trickster DxD. Just like I said in that review, **_**Keep up the good work! :)**_

_**Future milestone 1: 1080 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**

**REVIEW Q&A!**

**BatCornMan****: More like, Big Brother Instinct. Something far stronger than Mastered UI. XD**

**Edgar115****: It depends on the story. Sometimes her cuteness is just used incessantly while her role is like that, a cute girl and nothing else. Worry not, Asia is indeed taking part in the tournament and her fight will be… epic!**


	83. Innocence and Maturity

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 80: Innocence and Maturity**

* * *

**~Kunou's POV~**

The cheering was loud enough to drown the last words of cheerful encouragement coming from her Niichan, but the blonde kitsune was in no need to hear his voice to know that he was going to cheer for her.

Smiling moderately at the public's grand reaction to her presence, the young Yokai felt glad to have finally decided to pick a new battle kimono for the occasion as she could feel herself better in that new set of clothes.

Her theme was still white and red like her miko dress, the major differences with the kimono being that she had some golden-black details by the small sections where her sleeves began and the very sleeves were halved as to offer more maneuvering space for her arms; her skirt was a little shorter than her haori but still falling beyond her knees.

As the girl started her descent through the staircase, her curious golden eyes blinked silently at the woman taking precedence by the stairs.

With long silver-white hairs and aqua-colored eyes, this individual looked as confident of her abilities as she was embarrassed of the current predicament she was supposed to deal with.

Rossweisse was a Valkyrie, her battle armor resembling well the standards imposed by the Norse profession.

Despite the class being compared much to Christian Angels, Valkyries were made by girls born in Asgard that ended up showing a grand propensity to fight and managed to pass through the various specialized schools designed for the role.

The requirements to be accepted within the order were still fairly high, much higher compared to other mythological orders of this kind and that was enough to put the young blonde in a careful guard about this curious situation.

A few moments passed and soon the two were staring at each other from the proper standing points of the arena, the countdown having yet to start and that very instance offered Kunou some more hints about her opponent's personality and current emotions.

Some nervousness was there to be picked from her expressive face, but it wasn't as extreme to warrant any false misunderstanding over this foe's capacity towards this battle.

Since Rossweisse had come to the event as the first one among the Norse Pantheon to be enlisted in the fighters' list, it was good to assume that her prowess was nothing to scoff at.

Blue eyes were failing to keep a straight look at the kitsune, more than enough to make the girl think that the older female was severely underestimating her with the way she looked this relaxed.

But instead of getting irritated at this possible discovery, the blonde merely let out a wide grin and nodded.

"May the best one win, Rossweisse-nee~," The young teen said chirpily, her voice seemingly drawing a surprised and even more embarrassed look from the Valkyrie.

And while the woman returned the kind words with a nod, within her mind Kunou couldn't help but giggle at how fun this early bit of the fight was going to be, endless possibilities of amusing escalations unfolding inside her head.

The countdown began, but instead of paying much attention to it, the girl decided to act just like her opponent thought her to be; a naive little girl that was mostly unaware of what was going on.

So when the horns rung again and the battle commenced, Rossweisse hesitated to move from her starting position, looking confused as to how she was supposed to deal with such a delicate situation.

Before her was a little yokai, with possibly little fighting experience and some magical knowledge thanks to her upbringing as the heiress to Kyoto's Yokai Faction.

Maybe there were more thoughts lurking within the white-haired young woman, but Kunou decided to not think about it and try to test the waters by merely taking a single step towards the battle-armored woman.

Blue-eyes widened as she tensed in minor surprise at the relaxed posture adopted by the younger girl, the sight of someone this young and inexperienced sure to bring some questionable morality-related issues about the matter.

Doubts were not besetting the mind of the Valkyrie and the kitsune was just basking in that endearing psychological warfare with a little grin.

She might have been truly innocent about some aspects of life, but some of the interesting aspects of exploiting her current adorable and childish self were presented as an idea by Kuroka.

The dark-haired Nekoshou quietly pointing out how both hers and Ko-chan's youthful appearances were some good means to bring some weakness to a moral-bound enemy.

This is why, despite the little amusement coming to the blonde from this curious development was quick to vanish at the need of capitalizing with the openings just obtained.

She had to press the advantage now before the woman could finally begin the match.

"Rossweisse-nee, can I ask something from you?" The question seemed to catch the Valkyrie off-guard, eyes wide open and blinking as her lips twitched tentatively.

"A-And that is?" The moment those words left her opponent's mouth, Kunou smiled widely as her body tensed up eagerly.

"Don't hold be, okay?"

And with that, the blonde didn't wait to see the reaction on her foe's face, rather she rushed towards the eased guard of the woman and commenced to burn her defense. Literally.

Fists coated in fox-fire, the kitsune roared fiercely as she started to punch the woman's undefended chest, her first hit landing right onto her stomach.

Surprise turned in stunning pain on the Valkyrie's face as the young woman was unable to react properly at the initial beating, her mind failing to concentrate at the sudden suffering she was facing.

Some yelping ensued from her lips, bringing some more efforts from the younger enemy to continued with this assault.

Yet, despite the element of surprise and the magically-enchanted fire punches dealing more damage than with normal hits, her little stunt was rewarded with a quick blast of water reaching out from the blue lights forming on the woman's hands.

Retreating away as quickly as possible to avoid getting soaked by that attack, Kunou's eyes narrowed on the annoyed expression now present on the pained face of the silver-haired lady.

Ears twitching attentively, her golden eyes carefully studied if the water had somehow ended up drenching any of her clothes.

It wasn't about coverage of her modesty, her underclothes being capable of withstanding the liquid but the issue was if the outer bits had been turned wet.

Electricity-based spells weren't certainly something that the girl wanted to get acquaintance with just yet.

But while, much to her relief, her battle kimono hadn't been hit by the water and only her arms had been hit by the wet blast, Kunou's eyes fixed upon the approaching blue thunder zig-zagging towards her and soon she prepared to test out some of her training with Akeno.

The Himejima had been quite restrained with her abilities while teaching her, but after facing lighting several times in the last few spars was enough to bring some interest in developing a counter to this kind of magic.

And said counter was bestowed in the form of a little rule of magic that was so easily neglected by many practitioner of the arts.

Timing the approaching electric attack, the kitsune brought her enchanted hands up right as the magical spell was about to struck her and she _carefully palmed the tip of the attack with precise speed before redirecting it back around to the user of said spell._

A stinging sensation spread through her her hands and arms, the magical input needed to impose such a difficult manipulation draining a little on the magical presence on her upper limbs.

But her difficult task was kindly rewarded when an awestruck Rossweisse managed to bring up a weak barrier to defend herself from her own attack before it hit her, the resulting explosion giving the blonde the time to plan out her next strategy.

Eyes blinking at the cloud of smoke originated from the impact, her golden orbs stared up as a swift gust of wind created by a now-irritated silver-haired Valkyrie, the woman rushing up in the air and conjuring numerous small- and medium-sized light spears by her sides.

_Oh? _

Panic surged the moment the girl saw all the bright projectiles rushing her way, forcing her to move away as quickly as possible and beginning to dodge the strafe fire coming from the infuriated woman.

With her opponent now away from her physical reach, Kunou had to switch her pace to maintain herself unscathed from the enraged barrage of magic directed all towards her.

At least she was now aware that her foe preferred magic over close encounters, something that mattered very little until she got close to her once more.

But how?

If it had been Ko-chan, she would have used her Devil Wings to even out the current disadvantage, but the kitsune didn't have much of a mean that could have given her the chance of having prolonged flights.

Her panic rising even more at the lack of quick answers, her mind went through any tidbits that she could use in that very moment, digging deep between sparring sessions and little lessons about fighting in unique circumstances.

Then something finally clicked in the form of a story her Niichan had told her back when they had yet to be involved with the Omega Foundation, back even before dealing with leaving Kuoh Academy the first time around.

About how Azazel had met him, how they had ended up recruiting the young man in Grigori and…

How he had beaten his winged opponent without having any means to fly.

Debris created by the attacks of his own opponent, large pieces of marble and stone being used to create platforms to launch a powerful and debilitating strike upon his enemy and, while there was anything big enough to truly launch at the distracted woman, there was something she would do with her **Fox Dragon Mode**.

The grand burst of energy filled her with renewed resolve, her speed and perception of the world heightened enough to allow her to dodge effortlessly the multiple small-spears as she began her little but possibly successful plan.

The now silver-haired Yokai rushed through the area and eyed her first step to victory, jumping up in the air as she avoided another barrage of magical projectiles; her feet tapping softly onto the little specks of dirt that had been propelled to the sky by the continuous explosive blasts raining onto the ground.

With a determined expression plastered on her face and her hands cupped to the side, she started to prepare the final blow.

"Kame-"

The blonde jumped away and onto the next, closer speck towards the still-irritated opponent, avoiding another flurry of bright lances, as she continued with her unbending will.

"-Hame-"

The familiar orb of energy formed, some little red-like magic energy fusing with the light-blue and slowly turning the usual orb into a purplish sphere.

In that moment, the realization of what was going on finally reached Rossweisse, the Valkyrie snapping away from her murderous ire and her eyes widening in surprise at the approaching white-haired and red-eyed girl.

Some panic was now present on her face, forming three strong bubble-like barriers all over her body as she continued with her attacks, hoping to dismiss this assault before it succeeded and got too close to her.

But it was too late for that as, just as the kitsune landed on the last 'platform' available, the girl promptly sprung up and above the light-gray projectiles and above the surprised Valkyrie.

"-**HA!**"

Before the silver-haired lady could do anything about it, Kunou released the concentration of energy in her hands, a dense magical beam diving right onto her opponent's barriers and promptly pushing her down towards the floor.

The first two barriers collapsed almost instantly much to the Norse girl's expectations, her last defense holding well against the powerful blast but failing to keep up with being slammed so suddenly onto the floor.

The following explosion cracked it, Rossweisse yelping as felt her whole body hurting as it was forcefully pressed on the ground, her vision growing blurry momentarily as dust rose from the floor.

Moments of silence ensued, the public lessening their yells of encouragement as they waited for the resulting outcome of that skirmish.

Was it over already? Or maybe the Valkyrie was biding her time and-

"Gotcha~!" The dust was wiped out as the now normal Kunou landed softly on her chest, blue eyes widened at mirthful yellow ones. "I think I have you beat, Rossweisse-nee."

A giggle left the yokai's lips while the older female huffed and pouted at that statement.

"I'm not defeated yet and-" Before she could end with her protest, the girl proceeded to dig her index fingers on the woman's sides, causing her to jump in surprise. "E-Eep! S-Stop!"

"Yield!" The kitsune childishly demanded, a little smug smile plastered on her face. "Or I will tickle you~!"

Irritation replaced surprised, but the Valkyrie was offered little means to leave that powerful hold without getting hurt and defeated in the process.

But what a humiliating defeat! To a child of all people, no matter her upbringing and teachers.

She was Odin's bodyguard, someone that was trained by Brynhildr herself! She couldn't just give up for so little and-

Then little fingers began tickling her sides, twitches echoing in her throat as she tried and failed to keep within herself the sudden need to burst out laughing.

Her efforts were futile, giggles preceding a full blown array of chuckles and laughs while the blonde continued restlessly with her ministrations.

Kunou giggled herself because of the red-faced smiling face on the lady, moments later cheering as the woman finally conceded defeat at that horrible 'torture'.

With her victory assured, she decided to wait for her opponent to get up to lead her back to the seats while holding her hand, gaining some loud 'Aww's from the spectators of her match.

"**Ladies and gentleman, sportsmanship at its finest!**"

But while the kitsune nodded at those words, an embarrassed Rossweisse groaned in her free hands but didn't let go of the younger female's hand until they had gone back to the competitors' section.

Another Valkyrie with long-blue hair, this one a little older than the silver-haired lady, rushed towards the two but before the young woman could have said anything, she found herself pulled in a tight embrace.

Blue eyes went wide as she caught her teacher sighing tiredly at her. "Brat, you did well."

The comment made her even more surprised, confused that someone as usually strict as Brynhildr could be this much forgiving of what has just happened in that match.

"B-But I lost-"

"Against someone much stronger thank yourself," The mentor interrupted, lessening the hug to show a proud expression to the younger Valkyrie. "You fared well and Lord Odin did praise your efforts."

"I-it wasn't much-"

"But it was still enough for someone of your current level of power," The blue-haired woman continued with a nod. "Don't be ashamed of having tried and failed against the inevitable."

But despite the encouraging and meaningful words, Rossweisse still felt like she could have done much more and… decided to quietly take her seat back beside her mentor, ready to see who was next now.

* * *

**~Hoitsu's POV~**

I have to admit that I've been quite tense when the battle began.

My expectations of Rossweisse having been fairly high, the woman supposedly a master magician in this current stage of her life and her prowess with rapid-firing multiple small-grade spells without showing any issue was a deign display of this ability.

Even her attempt to induce an electrocution, which failed thanks to Kunou's quick-thinking, had been something worth of some consideration as her mastery of elemental magic was nothing to scoff at.

But just as I prepared for the little blonde-haired missile to land onto me, giving me the tightest of hugs, I found my attention taken away from the happy-looking girl and back to the large window over the stadium's arena.

With the kitsune's loud and boisterous retelling of the fight, I was unable to hear what was the next fighters for the match, hoping that it wasn't me and… I was graced with quite the match-up the moment I was granted some sight over the scene.

Two individuals, both men, were standing one staring at the other in the official standpoints.

The first one was middle-aged and had gelled hair, the color a mixture of red and blue; Heterochromic eyes, one blue and the other red. He was wearing a purple scarf over his formal looking jacket, dress black pants and a pair of formal shoes.

At first I couldn't understand whom I was looking at, then rethinking about his appearance some red flags were quick to rise up at the sight of this important figure.

Mephisto Pheles was the current leader of the Grauzauberer, a large Magician organization that worked as a neutral faction for Mages of all kind.

Similar to Grigori in terms of neutrality, the organization accepted the outcasts of Hell's, Heaven's and even Earth's societies.

The man was also the very Devil that contracted Johann Georg Faust, a renowned German alchemist, scientist and **magician **from the 15th century, giving him the knowledge that made the man famous for centuries.

Decades of wisdom, power and incredible experience all held within a single mind.

A dangerous threat to deal for sure, but one I would mind to share some words with in the future once this tournament was done.

But despite the impressive background behind this legendary man, I couldn't help but be more inclined to believe that the winner of this fight would end up being the one he was facing against.

Sairaorg looked incredibly calm for someone going against someone like Mephisto, the calm violet eyes fixed on the elder giving off a sense of determination and confidence, enough to put me in a state of utter certainty over whom was going to win that battle.

Kunou adjusted herself on my lap as she turned her focus right where I was looking at and her golden eyes widened as she leaned on my chest.

"Niichan, isn't that Sairaorg-san?"

I nodded at her question, preferring to keep quiet as I wanted to see this match unfold quietly and without any distractions.

The girl seemed to understand my little state of mind, merely keeping sight over the fight herself as she was curious of whom this individual truly was, to have urged a tournament like this to exist.

The countdown began, urging both contenders to prepare their stances at the approaching start of this battle and…

They both sprung to action when the horns rung once more, both becoming blurs as they started to exchange blows.

The leader of the Grauzauberer was surprisingly fast with his pace, keeping up well with the peak performance exerted by this 'relaxed' Sairaorg, something that got me suddenly curious as I also noticed his spell-casting with immensely quick for even a Devil.

Spitting whispers so suddenly and almost making no sense, the magician was throwing a lot against the heir of the Bael Clan, the bulky young man tanking most of the attacks without showing major stress of discomfort.

Rather it seemed like the brawler was facing some irritation for another unidentified reason, something that got up to not lower his guard even once even as there was little damage coming from the base offensive spells.

I continued to stare fixedly at Mephisto, the old man looking cautious and incredibly-focused as he continued to 'distract' his opponent more and more.

Nothing was being done by the magician to actually try to 'hurt' his foe and that actually got me confused as to why.

The elder sure had more in his repertoire than this little 'firework show', something going missing from the scene that I couldn't just confirm from the current situation unfolding.

Even the kitsune looked confused, a hum building in her throat as she tried to understand herself why both were stalling each other.

Then, something even more curious happened as the Bael went for a strong jab, aiming right at Mephisto's head.

The old man didn't seem to even flinch at the incoming powerful blow, easily ducking and drawing some long distance from his opponent… in a single step.

I blinked, then again as I tried to made sense of what had just happened in mere seconds.

One moment the magician had been standing still in his position, then once the first blow was thrown at him, he avoided it with millimetric precision before _side-stepping several meters away from his opponent._

Sairaorg himself stopped his approaching to look at his foe with unveiled confusion and curiosity, the young man trying to see what was going on with the now-smiling magician.

"Is he using magic to enchant his body?" The blonde commented quietly.

I sighed. "I don't think so, there is no presence of energy coating his body or reinforcing his physical attributes," I replied with the same calm tone. "I think the explanation is a little more complex than that."

Just as I said this, I noticed the magician prepare several more energy blasts while he took hold in his hands of something that was glimmering from afar.

The Imperial Purpure's eyes widened in surprise as he started to dodge numerous knives thrown at him at some neck-breaking speed.

A quick look at the disposed blades made it clear why the young Devil feared those as I perceived a soft undertone of holy energy coming from the daggers.

Mephisto started to move once again and… it was a weird spectacle of blurs, the man appeared to be running all around the confused Sairaorg while continuing to throw knives at him.

The young man managed to avoid all of the dangerous metals tried to stab onto him, his violet eyes now showing some major anger at the usage of holy weaponry, something that was unusual as the attacker was a Devil himself.

It was with this little deadly circus that I started to finally see something familiar coating over Mephisto, a kind of magic that wasn't there to enchant his body… it was doing something completely different than that.

The speed… it wasn't just speed. It was the entire body and mind acting together with magic to attain this absurd pace and… it just couldn't be any enchantment.

But it was a glimpse of his form that actually gave me a theory, a moment in time where the man stopped being a blur and appeared in a somewhat familiar pose.

It was Jojo-esque, there was no doubt about it, yet the new hint barely offered any other ramifications of what this could mean.

Sure, there were many Jojo fans among Devils, as the show had managed to get many individuals endeared by how wacky it was and how well aesthetically it was too look at.

But still… there had to be something I was genuinely missing from this picture and-

Then I realized what it all meant.

The surreal speed, the lack of magical boosting behind such a situation and… wasn't Mephisto intrigued by the human studies over natural physics?

It wouldn't be completely surreal to think that, despite the lack of Stands, one of the strongest abilities was being used here with the use of some scientific basis coupled with magic.

The reason why I felt like I had seen this kind of magic before wasn't truly unfounded as I had been close to someone specialized in this kind of magic.

I glanced to the side, my eyes trying to find someone in particular and my eyes landed right on a certain redhead.

Mio looked confused herself at the scene and possibly feeling a connection to what was happening before her eyes and what she was used so regularly.

_**Do you believe in Gravity?**_

_Oh? So you finally speak?_

'**We were having a discussion, nothing to worry about-**'

_**For now. Let's just say that Apophis felt someone familiar among the contestants.**_

_What?_

'**As I've said, nothing to be concerned about. **_**He**_** can't be here, not with so much security employed.**'

What the heck were those two referring about?

…

Anyway, the comment forwarded by Shiranai was correct.

Mephisto was taking major inspiration from Enrico Pucci, specifically the **Time Acceleration **ability that only **[C-Moon] **and **[Made in Heaven] **were known for.

Instead of using Gravity itself to accelerate everything but the user, it was the user himself that was being accelerated within time.

And how was he doing all of this without having Gravity-type magic coating his body? Well, the secret was that he wasn't accelerating his body but his proximity by making use of a bubble-like radius for the self-sustaining spell.

Fascinating to the sight, confusing to bystanders that weren't aware of the specifics behind the theory of relativity and incredibly infuriating for anyone that was facing this kind of threat.

Sairaorg wasn't going to lose because of this, but it was sure going to stretch the time for a long period before Mephisto truly drained.

This theory, which now looked to be a genuinely good possibility, would explain why the elder was keeping some distance off from his opponent and why he couldn't make use of any high-tier spells against his foe.

The young Bael was still confused and was surely going to end up unaware even after the match about the logic behind such situation.

No blow would ever land, at least until Mephisto deemed so and if he didn't want to surrender once his reserves were low enough to call for his own defeat.

The match continued as expected, Sairaorg continuing to have some minor difficulty with his opponent and then the old magician decided to surrender after dispensing enough flashy spells around to make the match somewhat endearing to look at.

But just as the two contenders returned up to the competitors' stands, I decided to approach the two with Kunou on tow.

The violet-eyed brunet was quick to greet us. "Hoitsu, Kunou. It's good to see you today."

We nodded both at the greeting.

"It's good to see you too, Sairaorg, and I've to say that this match sure was _bizarre _to look at," I commented carefully, my use of that specific word seemingly causing the old man to freeze for a moment and look at my way with a curious look.

"Indeed, it's impressive that Mephisto-san to keep up with my balanced pace," The young man replied back, but my eyes were already on the magician himself.

"It's more about magic and science," I explained quietly, drawing a confused frown out of the brawler. "It was Gravity."

…

"What?"

But before I could answer that question, the leader of Grauzauberer decided to intercede.

"I created a gravitational bubble to accelerate the time around me," The elder admitted with a huff. "A very taxing move, but one that makes me happy to use so smoothly."

I blinked. "Your favorite character is Pucci?"

"A complex man driven by the consciousness of creating a better universe?" Mephisto mused back. "Everyone's a villain until the reason behind their 'duties' are shown to a reader or a spectator. Pucci was flawed, but his growth was admirable."

I nodded at that explanation and I couldn't fault him to praise one of the main villains written by Araki.

There was just a degree of humanity in each of them that renders it all… sad when they die at the end of the various parts.

_**Except for Diavolo, the man deserved his punishment.**_

I felt Kunou tugging at my sleeve in that very moment and I looked at her and her curious face.

"What are you two talking about?" She inquired quietly, drawing some curious expression from the old Devil, the man unaware of what would follow next.

I blinked and smiled. "It's one of the non-animated parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Part 6 to be exact."

The girl's eyes lit at the mentioning of Jojo, the kitsune then glancing at the elder. "That means you are a Jojo's fan too, Mephisto-san?"

The magician was surprised and stomped by the questions, eyes moving from the girl right to look at me, to which I replied with a simple shrug.

Finally he glanced back down to the blonde and nodded.

"I am, yes," He admitted happily. "And it's nice to know that you are fan yourself, Kunou-san."

The girl giggled at the kind tone and returned the nod.

Meanwhile Sairaorg was giving me the most confused expression. "'Jojo'?"

As I opened my mouth, someone else decided to jump in.

"It's one of the animes I recommended you to watch, Sai," A _familiar_ feminine voice answered on my stead, causing all of us to look at the origin of the reply and- "But I guess you were busy training because of the tournament."

A small smile was on her face, her ahoge twitching just once as the redhead showed just some nervousness at the situation.

"Hoitsu-san, Kunou-san," Rias greeted with an uneasy but polite tone.

I blinked. "Rias-san," I greeted back, while Kunou merely sidestepped behind me, keeping quiet as I glanced at Sairaorg and nodded.

"Well, I guess we will see what kind of next fights will await us, Sairaorg. Hopefully, the match-up will give us the chance of sparring like I've promised you."

He gave a calm sigh and a defeated nod. "I think 'luck' will favor that kind of battle, Hoitsu."

After this closure, I silently retreated back to my post, Kunou settling on my lap as she silently looked away from the young Bael and Gremory.

Rias looked saddened by the lack of formal gesture to salute her, but she merely accepted it with a tiny grimace.

Hopefully Asia hadn't seen that one scene happening.

But before I could find some rest over the matter, I couldn't help but notice the screen now calling a new match, a groan building from within my throat as that was a nightmare of a match-up.

**Vali Lucifer vs. Diehauser Belial**

* * *

**AN**

**I think I've waited for too long to show Part 3 to the cast.**

**Once the tournament arc is done and folded, I will give it 'main priority'.**

_**Future milestone 1: 1100 Followers and Favorite.**_

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	84. Worthless

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

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* * *

**Chapter 81: Worthless**

* * *

**~Vali's POV~**

The deafening noise created by the people spectating the match was quite irritating, the unnecessary distraction surely going to prove as a slight issue to deal with.

He had fought with a crowd of spectators, but the annoying presence of so many Devils and other mythological beings was more than enough to put a stronger pressure on Vali over the already complicated fight that awaited him.

Diehauser Belial, the Champion of the Rating Games, the head of the House Belial and… someone that was certainly worth of those titles if not more considering the slight energy coming off from his relaxed state.

It was like a calm ocean that was moments away from abruptly envelop him in its immense raw power.

He could match it if he didn't hold back, he knew that, but much to his inner chagrin that wasn't something he couldn't afford to try in this brawl of all places.

Not this early in the tournament and especially not with this challenger of all people.

The gray-haired Ultimate-class Devil seemed calm with a slightly interest glint emanating from his dull eyes while they waited for the start of this important match.

The youngest Lucifer against the Emperor, the youngster against the strong past.

It was ironic how someone like Diehauser had turned out into the worst thing he could have ever tried to achieve in his life, especially after his cousin's death.

Cleria Belial had died by 'forbidden love' when she was discovered eloping with a young human Exorcist, Masaomi Yaegaki, by Devil's society.

Her execution, happening closely to the one issued by Heaven against the young man under their service, spurred some surprise and shock from the Underworld at the revelation of such a scandalous relationship and a handful of people even went as far as consider it an issue born from the Belial's traditions.

Differently from other Hell's clans, the House of Belial was quite reformist and moderated with its following of the laws of the Underworld, something that had always bothered the Old Devil Clique ruling the government from the shadows.

Diehauser was no exception to the humble tones of his family, fostering quite the close relationship with Cleria and… her death didn't leave him without any changes.

Gone was the cheerful champion, instead a very self-disappointed Devil replaced him ever since the girl's death.

There was no passion in winning, not much of an interest to improve with what he had achieved in so little and…

That infuriated the Host of the Vanishing Dragon as he could see the blatantly wasted potential!

"Vali Lucifer," The Emperor spoke with a quiet voice, blinking just once before bowing his head towards the younger Devil. "It's an honor and a flattering development to have you as my next opponent."

Being brought back to reality, the young man hummed as he noticed at the countdown was already down to 5.

Little bantering, nothing meaningful or ever-so distracting… but Vali decided to play around with this introduction.

4.

"Diehauser Belial, I will show you no mercy," The Lucifer stated without hesitation, voice lacking any warmth but also any true coldness.

3.

There was some surprise growing at the comment, but he didn't seem completely caught off-guard by it. "That's some boisterous claim, Scion Lucifer," The man frowned back at him. "I hope you can back it up."

2.

Albion was quiet and quite disdainful of what his plan for the match was all about, finding the lack of major participation to be quite… irking.

1.

He took a defensive posture, the same example was followed by Diehauser but there was just an element of lazy within the way he was guarding himself.

So many opening. All of them fake ones.

"Start!"

Vali bolted _backwards_ as he dodged a quick rush from his opponent, gaining a little edge as the older Devil was forced to give a brief chase to begin some close-fighting against the less-experienced foe.

It was something expected, something that he could have countered by enveloping his body in the Balance Breaker but… it wouldn't work in the long-run.

Not only was that action expected, but the chances of ending up 'surprised' and drained by Diehauser's special ability made it a must to keep a careful mind around this dangerous threat.

In fact, with the Scale Mail failing to already show at the clear disadvantaged, the surprise within the Emperor's eyes seemed to grow even more.

And then the man spoke.

"You are holding back a lot," He commented blandly. "I thought you were above arrogance, Scion Lucifer."

"I am not arrogant, Lord Belial," Vali replied with a hint of boredom, something quite awkward to listen to considering he was facing a losing battle against the close-quarters master. "Actually, I think you are too foolish to see the bigger picture."

Throwing a kick at the younger Devil, which was dodged by Vali by ducking below the lifted leg, the Champion slammed his elbow quickly on the young man's chest by interrupting his rotation to press on the aggressive nature of his own offensive.

The Lucifer flinched, feeling the stinging sensation of the blow spread across his entire torso, numbing it a little as he managed to back away again from the exchange of attacks.

"Forgive me, but I've to say that this is just downright childish," Diehauser continued to comment, sighing tiredly as he punched right through the younger Devil's guard. "I've heard- I've seen your prowess during the battle of Tokyo, against Kokabiel and-"

"You- You still don't understand what is going on, don't you?" Vali coughed a little, a devious smirk finally appearing on his face. "To think the one that discovered the 'King trick' could be so clueless about such a simple trap. I'm truly bored by your mind, Belial."

The blank mask seemed to crack momentarily as a little but non-negligible spike within the older Devil's energy was more than enough to confirm the sore button.

"It was Rizevim-"

"Actually no," The silver-haired Lucifer scoffed at the mere mentioning of his grandfather, the man being ever-so secretive over the identity of major supporters within Qlippoth.

No, the information came from a fortuitous development that had happened days ago after a peculiar experience.

Something that was meant to give a major boost to fight… actually ended up giving a more intimate insight upon his rival's mind.

Endless secrets all held within Hoitsu's inner self, so many and so massive for a single individual to keep onto without having someone else discovering all of them.

It explained so much, but it also give him infinite questions over the past, the present and their future.

And that was what truly worried Vali, to deal with such a secretive individual about trust and truthfulness of the actions that led them to this point.

Was he angry? No.

It was blatant to see why it would have been urgent to keep it all bottled up, some of the unknown elements discovered being world-shaking and worrying for an existential perspective.

But the Lucifer wasn't certainly someone that lingered upon his existence, the 'why' he was alive in this blank world being fairly unrequited and unneeded as he was fine by merely being alive.

No, he was fine with it as it all had a logical sense, the world was rolling within the requirements of a human mind.

It wasn't chaos that created the world, nor was random the happening of certain event; it all stemmed from the imagination and references to a bleaker world in terms of moral corruption that breed this reality.

Truly a horrifying development but also unfortunately much better than just… having nothing to stand onto.

He sighed, mind returning to the current state of things and away from the difficult debate as today's match was going to be the real mean to reach out to Hoitsu.

Only the brunet could give him some straight answers instead of information without context, something that was much required about some… strange bits of the 'canon' timeline that just didn't make any sane sense.

He just had the time to blink before he was forced to quickly tilt his head to the side, the swift punch from his opponent.

Diehauser looked annoyed, the mere mentioning having indeed brought a new state of restlessness within the man.

"And what kind of trap are you referring to?" The Belial inquired with a forced tone. "From what I've seen, you have just played around and failed to bring up anything to-"

He stopped as his advance was paused by… something latching onto his left leg.

Grey eyes running down to the leg, Diehauser was impressed by the natural affinity displayed by enchanting, reinforcing and manipulating simple dirt into becoming some resilient mud from a fair distance from the area of casting.

"Ingenious, but… useless."

The older Devil freed himself by moving his leg out of the restriction, his raw power being more than enough to outmatch the little attempt to halt his attacking drive and-

"Not the trap," Vali muttered as he threw out of his hand a small white orb that was quickly flying towards the distracted enemy.

The Belial brought his right hand up, his open palm ready as the explosive Light Bomb _**utterly vanished before his eyes.**_

There was no surprise in his mind, the nature of his 'Worthless' ability being well-known to him as its capacity had served him well in the Rating Games-

**CRACK!**

Pain erupted from his face as an armored fist slammed with unexpected speed and power, the effective result being his sudden flight away from Vali's proximity and several meters away from where the youth was.

The pure-white Balance Breaker dissolved mere moments later as the young Lucifer started to walk, his intent approaching the slowly-recovering Diehauser.

"Your ability, the ones that nullify any techniques, spell and Sacred Gears' states," Vali proclaimed with a minor scowl now visible from his face. "The one you so consider 'Worthless', but could become so much great with proper training and practice."

The man sighed while he stood up, his robes were now sporting several cuts all over it but overall he seemed fine.

"So you know about it and… you lured me into thinking you were too arrogant to properly react in a formal fight," He coughed, yet the noise did show a minor hint of amusement and renewed interest. "_Bloody brilliant_."

"Not as brilliant as you paint it, considering the impressive mind you have," The Lucifer's scowl increased while he continued to chide his opponent. "A few years ago, this cheap trick would have been easy for you to catch before it even began… yet now you are so geared for Rating Games, to make **them** pleased of your fake loyalty to even consider making a proper study of this fight."

A snort left Diehauser's lips. "You know a lot, don't you?" He asked softly before steeling up his entire frame, preparing his guard once again. "But still, I guess I should be a little more 'honest' with my actions rather than showing some politeness."

"You speak as if you stand a chance against me," Vali continued with a sigh. "Yet you fail to understand that with your ace dismantled as it is, there is no chance for you to win."

"Another trick?"

The scowl returned. "This will be much more than a simple one."

But before the younger Devil could do anything worrisome against the Belial, Diehauser bolted towards him, his speed tripling from his initial one as he let out a little more than half of his full power.

The gloves were mostly off and now it was time to teach a lesson to a pompous brat.

Before the Emperor could even try to deal the first attack upon the calmly-waiting Lucifer, the young man brought his open palms near his forehead and… yelled.

"**SOLAR FLARE!**"

Diehauser's eyes were wide open at the two shouted words, bringing him even more pain as the following blinding light led him to pause and flinch at the sudden ambush.

The technique had been sudden but terribly effective in its deployment, giving the opportunity to Vali to fully unleash a counter-attack in the form of a beating.

Donning once again his Balance Breaker and switching to the Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive, the young Devil didn't hesitate from pummeling the disoriented opponent, his much-stronger hits bringing more pain to the distracted Belial.

The damage was non-negligible and his mind was screaming to react at this sudden brutality, yet the lack of sight and focus was more than enough to ruin any chances of recovering from the unrestricted offensive.

It was five minutes of silent beating, with the attacker keeping his lips closed while he smashed the Emperor to the floor and-

**THUD!**

The final hit was a left punch by his stomach, forcing the man to recoil before being slammed down on the ground once again.

"And with the preparation done," Vali commented quietly as he took to fly over the aching frame of the older Devil. "I shall end this fight at once."

It was going to be flashy, just like many spectators wanted from such fights and… it was about time to bring a message to Hoitsu. A proper one this time.

Stopping mid-air, the Host of the Vanishing Dragon brought his both his hands together at chest level facing the same direction while curling his gingers.

Energy started to channel in a dark-gray orb forming onto his hands, a circular aura forming around his entire armor.

He felt a grin forming, the tense preparation and the careful concentration of the massive amount of energy converging to his palms bringing him a sense of… giddiness.

Was this the same feeling that Hoitsu felt when using this kind of techniques?

_**Interesting.**_

"**Galick-!**"

The mere muttering of the first word caused a sudden intensification of his efforts, drawing more on his mental concentration as to not destabilize and explode the orb.

Diehauser had barely risen up from the ground, looking shocked and barely awake to see the scene unfolding.

Vali forced both of his palms in front of him, forcing the orb forward as it exploded in a beam of gray light with a soft **purplish** undertone.

"**GUN!**"

The blast was strong, but carefully calibrated to not be a killing blow as that wouldn't be convenient for anyone, especially the young Lucifer.

Considering how stingy the commission of judges for the matches was, being owned by members of the Old Devil clique, it was best to not ruin too much any of their 'puppets' before the entire Underworld's eyes.

The explosion was incredible, but nothing that truly threatened the spectators nearby as the inner barrier did well in their job of protecting the bystanders sitting behind them.

Moments of quiet passed thorough the coliseum, enough to wait for the dust and the smoke to settle down and reveal a wounded but still-alive Diehauser.

The man looked barely lucid as medics were quickly sent to recover him and escort him out of the arena, the proclamation of Vali's victory following soon after.

With a little sigh, the young Lucifer landed down near the staircase that led to the contenders' seat, dropping from his Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive and back to his base form.

Just as he made a few steps to reach the booth, he stopped as he noticed a shadow coming from the end of the stairs and… he sighed once again as he noticed who it was.

_**Hoitsu had noticed his message. Now it was time to have a proper talk… but who is the real liar here?**_

* * *

**~Lilith's POV~**

If Lilith had to be honest, when Zekram had decided to settle her by this specific section of the arena, she hadn't expected to end up dealing with this kind of shenanigans.

_**Especially not from this kind of individuals.**_

"Truly an interesting development," One of the goddesses sitting by the 'VIP booth' purred intrigued.

She had brown hair combed in a short manner, she had some spectacles and was wearing a dark gray blouse with dark dress pants that ended in a pair of formal shoes.

Yellow eyes were shining brightly at the sight before her, almost elated at the brutality expressed by the fight.

"To see someone as young as little Vali to give a proper pummeling to Diehauser," She praised happily. "I wonder what kind of guy he is and I wonder if he would accept an apprenticeship of sort."

"To think that you would be this much excited for fights, Athena," Shiva mused with a surprised tone. The Hindu God blinked at the giddiness coming from the usually-quiet individual. "Actually, I didn't even expect an introverted like you to be this interested in this fight in particular."

The Greek Goddess snorted at this. "I remind you that I'm also the Goddess of War, Shiva."

"And she is also far more hardcore about single fights than I am," Ares commented quietly, while writing some messages in his phone.

The Greek God of War had half-shaved black hair and a dense beard on his face that seemed to have been tended about a few hours earlier by how well-cut it seemed to be.

He was wearing a military-green half-sleeved shirt and a pair of green-and-brown striped cargo pants that ended in a pair of black boots.

Despite the militaristic outlook and its main purpose, Ares looked completely uninterested by the tournament as a whole and, from Lilith's perspective, the deity looked like a child brought to see some lengthy theatrical work that just failed to catch his attention.

"Seriously, you should have seen how pumped up she was when Perseus went against Medusa."

"The hag deserved that and even more," Athena shot back with a huff, arms crossing close to her bountiful chest. "To think that some morons would spread lies about the origin of our feud. I mean, do you remember what happened to Uncle Poseidon?"

"Uncle P never recovered after that unplanned twenty-four hours session," Her brother groaned at remembering that very instance.

"And the smiling trash had the nerve of choosing my temple of all places to try and get some demi-god children!" Her irritation was palpable while other deities continued to listen to this curious tale, some already giggling and snorting at the terrible deeds suffered by the known Virgin Goddess.

"At least you don't have the same crazy issues like Artemis-"

"Don't even mention that airhead," The woman muttered with a groan, interrupting Shiva much to the latter's dismay. "Seriously, I don't see why 'marrying' that moron of Orion would be a good idea; even as a teddy bear, that idiot is still as perverted as he was back as a human."

"Plus Arti is pretty much focusing on her Huntresses nowadays," Ares added with a frown. "Also, do you remember if Atalanta is still leading or not the group?"

"The poor cub girl?" His sister asked with a surprised look, sighing as she was unaware herself of the matter. "As much as a strict kitty she can behave, I would be impressed if she is still dealing with the complaint list."

Lilith blinked at this, feeling like she had heard that name before. Then she remembered it from one of her mostly one-sided discussions with a certain sack of bones and lies, thus the redhead jumped in the conversation.

"I think Hades did mention that Atalanta was still leading," The former Queen of the Underworld commented with a small smile. "There were attempts to leave, but Artemis stopped her from achieving any of that by-"

"Aggressive cuddling and promises of more vacations?" Athena interjected with an amused glint. "I can see my little sister do something like this and- It's good to see you, Lils."

"'Thena," The redhead nodded back at the greeting.

"Lilith, it's been so long and I thought that Hades was lying about you 'leeching off from him'," Ares said before flinching at the irritated smile on the woman's face. "Still, it's good to see you well and fine."

"I bet Uncle H was giving you hell with his melodramatic monologues about how much of a failure he is with gardening," The brunette said as she tilted closer to the widowed lady. "Still, if you have a chance of seeing him again, mention 'Bone Daddy'. That always gets him jumpy ever since a large number of girls have showed up at his **doorstep** to 'conquer his heart'."

The redhead snorted with a twitchy smile at that nickname. What was wrong with certain girls nowadays?

"I-I will try to do that when I catch up with him once again."

"I feel like nobody else noticed you, Lilith, we need to change that," Ares continued with a genuinely interested tone as he turned to the rest of the group. "Hey guys, you forgot to greet Lilith here! Do I need to remind you whom are we talking about?!"

The loud demand was met with positive chattering as multiple deities addressed the now-blushing woman, slightly awed by how many people still remembered her after so long.

Most of the deities there knew about her through her husband, Lucifer having gone far and wide to keep neutrality during the Great War, sometimes ending up making strong bonds with major gods of different Pantheons.

The Greek one had been one of the first ones that he had entered in contact and Hades and Athena were the first deities to meet with him.

It was surprising to see that she was still part of their memory and… she smiled brightly.

"It's good to see you all here too!"

A resounding roar of genuine happiness echoed from the entire booth as they all tried to get to hold some words with the widowed leader of Hell, some even going as far as to give her quick hugs and praise her well-kept form.

No men tried to do that with any resemblance of lecherous expression, far too many women in the room to survive an eventual collective retaliation from any of them.

Still, just as the entire section lit up at the discussions now focusing with Lilith, the redhead was also asked to reply to some of the pressing questions regarding the members of her family that were competing in the tournament.

"Sapphire is going to fight, I heard," Odin commented with a giddy smile. "Will she don her _magnificent _armor?"

The question was first met with a furious look from Frigg, the Allfather's wife going as far as starting to squeeze at the old man's left arm and forcing him to reformulate the query with a more appropriate tone.

"I-I mean, will she be fighting with the same ardor she had in the Great War?"

The redhead sighed. "She will be quite annoyed with some of the competitors as she expect her opponents to be as strong as her _at least_."

"Which is a tall requirement considering that some individuals invited here don't have her potential, experience and years of wisdom," Ares commented quietly.

"And from my understanding Vali is indeed your great-grandson," Shiva joined in with a curious voice. "We've seen just a glimpse of his power but, since I can see a little 'deeper' than many can… I wonder if Lord Zekram got enough precautions for** that fight**."

Lilith didn't need any specifications to what the Hindu God was referring to.

It was no secret that Vali was trying his best to get matched against Hoitsu and the brunet wasn't certainly backing away from any confrontations against his rival.

Both had been careful to promise to moderate their power to an eventual brawl, but the redhead was genuinely concerned that a simple promise wouldn't be able to keep them from going beyond they had planned.

It's in their blood to find cheerfulness in bringing the heat to the discussion, to spark the fire and create the brightest firework for the sake of improving and showing their progress.

While it was clear that Hoitsu had no blood-relation to the Morningstar Clan, he was still as 'hyped' for this kind of events just like her husband was when they moved to the Underworld.

It was unclear to say what would happen if the young pseudo-human decided to go _to that very major step_ and escalate the conflict to a very explosive stalemate, but it was a sure thing that Vali wouldn't hesitate to bring the fullest out of each other for the sake of 'honesty'.

Oddly enough, this development within her youngest descendant was… actually a positive thing considering the young Lucifer's upbringing.

Rizevim had crossed the line by inciting the abuse, yet most of the fault lied within the now deceased Razevam and his own issues.

Vali's rivalry, albeit violent and aggressive from an external perspective, was actually healthy over the perceived nature of such bond.

Both were endeared by the chance of fighting each other, to strive to beat one another as to push beyond the limits.

Hoitsu's stable life offered to his rival a proper sight over what a normal life should be (or at least as normal as one should be instead of one of complete solitude) and that did improve immensely the boy's efforts to overcome his traumas.

No longer he stuck to the past memories about his dysfunctional family with his parents, now he was looking at the future as an independent but still family-attached young man with a need to continue to develop and fulfill his true potential.

To make things even more absurd, said rivalry managed to turn inconsequential the infamous relationship between the Vanishing Dragon and the Welsh Dragon as Vali barely cared to entertain any hard feelings towards Issei Hyoudou and the brunet was more than happy to keep the status quo as it was with his current life.

"Lady Lilith, if I may ask," A soft but strong feminine voice intervened and brought her out of her thoughts. "Can I ask you about one individual, a certain Hoitsu Sakakibara?"

Lilith turned her attention to look at a certain… fox-haired young woman.

She had long pink-hair that were tied and kept-short, two pink fox ears visible on top of her head and… a pair of bright golden eyes. A youthful face.

She was wearing a blue kimono with golden-black details and she was showing her bountiful cleavage.

The red-haired woman blinked. "He is my… great-grandson too."

The pinkette's eyes widened in surprise. "Truly?"

"Wait!" Athena jumped at this, "You mean to tell me that the young man, Hoitsu Sakakibara, the one that has his own fan club for good reasons… is related to you?"

"Partly, but yes."

"That brat was in Tokyo," Ares commented with a more interested tone. "He was in the first line when your rebellious sonny decided to 'conquer the city'."

The redhead flinched. "He… was."

"I humbly apologize if bringing this topic up can sound awkward at the moment," The unknown Japanese goddess mentioned. "But I was inclined to know more about the fellow that is taking care of my granddaughter."

"Your… granddaughter?" The former Queen asked in confusion, failing to understand which of the girls around Hoitsu this stranger was referring about.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," She gave a quick bow and nodded, a regal smile appearing on her face. "I'm Amaterasu, Shinto Goddess of the Sun and I consider lady Yasaka, the current leader of Kyoto's Yokai Faction as my surrogate daughter."

At that introduction, her red eyes widened in realization.

"So you are talking about little Kunou?"

The goddess eased at the mentioning of the little girl's name. "Yes, I consider the little kit as my kin. She is my grandchild in all but blood."

Lilith nodded at this and thought well about how to answer this situation.

"So you wish to know a little more about Hoitsu?"

The fox-eared woman nodded. "Yasaka-chan mentioned him with positive comments. Albeit I was skeptical over her handing him temporary guardianship over Kunou-tan, I've heard some positive comments from the child's development."

"Hoitsu and Kunou are quite close as brother and sister, I can say without hesitation that both are quite content of the state of things instead of-"

"Pursuing something a little more scandalous," The kitsune goddess mused with a small smirk. "I guess that I will have some discussion with Kunou-tan as to properly verify this… but I guess you are quite sure of this, Lady Lilith."

"You should see how adorable the cutie is when she yearns for his praise when she does well at school or during training," The kind mother mentioned with a lovely note.

Sadly, this was lost by Amaterasu as the Shinto deity sighed. "I can't much relate to this description as… I didn't have much of a _stellar_ relationship with my brothers."

That caused Lilith to blink in surprise. "Then I… guess it would be best to wait for a proper time to approach the two."

The fox-eared pinkette smiled. "Indeed and- It seems like the next fight has been announced."

The sudden warning got the redhead to turn her attention to the monitor displaying the current selection of the next match.

If before she had been particularly nervous over the situation, now she felt paling at the name displaying on the board.

_W-When did he- how did he enter the-_

Her mind had to reboot, her eyes going wide open as she caught full sight of the names and the photos portrayed above the words.

**Hoitsu Sakakibara vs. Rizevim Livan Lucifer!**

* * *

**AN**

**Things happen, everything explode boom!**

**Reference to Orion (Archer) from FGO and Amaterasu is Caster from Fate/Extra…**

…

**Yep, today I'm truly going all in.**

**Also quick note to make it clear why this AN is so gloomy: Once again there is someone that is translating a story of mine without authorization in Wattpad. I'm starting to get tired of having to give second chances to those that don't understand the incredibly simple idea of saying that 'this story is not mine, it is owned by SocialistBukharin/JustBukharin'. I know I've already said this in the past, but I can't help but think that my patience is being abused in those cases.**

**If there is no reply from the post I've sent to the person uploading **_**my **_**chapters, I will have to report the story. Period.**

**Lastly, some feedback about the tournament arc would be nice as we are approaching the 100th chapter milestone and things need to be somewhat smoothly at this point.**

**Hopefully things will proceed well and… CIAO!**

**_**Future milestone 1: 1170 Followers and Favorite.**_**

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**


	85. The Masks We Wear

**DISCLAIMER**

**The following is a fan-based**

**FICTION**

**High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.**

**Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Chapter 82: The Masks We Wear**

* * *

"What was that."

While I was trying my best to appear unfazed by what I had just seen unfolding in that fight, I couldn't certainly let Vali go with the little stunt he pulled.

There was no doubt that what I've just seen, that Galick Gun, was a confirmation for some suspicions I had back when we decided to try out the fusion.

I could remember the odd memories that had appeared on my mind by the very moment we had defused, our connected mind splitting back in our individual ones and… a copy of our respective memories was given to the other.

I had been completely unaware of this detail, unsure if that was a unique exception to me or if it was actually something that was known of this technique.

Goku, Vegita, Trunks and Goten.

They had never expressed any comment about this very notion and yet, with that fight ending in such a flashy and familiar way, I was now sure it was something Vali had experienced too.

The silver-eyed young man seemed so smug, resuming his walk up the staircase after noticing my presence by the end of his path, almost eager to have the kind of discussion I had planned to have with him.

He stopped right in front of me, glancing up with right onto my face and giving a brief nod.

"Follow me," He half-ordered in a whispered manner, taking a quick turn away from the main line of sight of the other competitors, a visible majority already staring at this interaction with a certain fascination.

Enough to indulge me to comply, albeit begrudgingly, at the swift command and walk beside him until we were far away enough to begin a proper conversation.

"I know you have questions-"

"You saw my memories," I interrupted with a little scowl on my face. "Yet you decided that, instead of saying anything about it, that you had to 'show' me something with that flashy attack."

He snorted. "As if you haven't seen about my past," He pointed out snidely, glancing back with a narrowed-eyed look. "You are the one that hold the most secrets, some of those could easily destroy governments, mundane and supernatural ones. You can shatter people and… I wonder if I should consider myself manipulated or not."

"If you aren't angry, then I suppose you _know_ that I didn't manipulate anyone-"

"Except earlier in your 'adventure', when you decided to withhold essential information that could have helped immensely Grigori's investigation over Kokabiel's true intentions and his connection with Qlippoth," The Lucifer intervened with a sigh, causing me for my irritated front to falter for just a moment. "There are some hefty punishments for keeping some of the knowledge you are aware of."

I blinked at this, feeling a little unnerved by what he was suggesting.

'**He is awfully infuriating today.**'

_**Only today? But I suppose you can say that he is much more pushy considering what he could gain from this discussion.**_

_A lot. He could gain so much from just pressing the right buttons and he know that._

_**But not with blackmail of this kind.**_

_And I bet he knows that too..._

I was skeptical he would have gone along and told Azazel about this stuff, I knew him well enough now to know that he wouldn't just wait this much to confess such a massive revelation off to his surrogate father.

Yet his words brought up one of the sour aspects of the aftermath of the attack on Tokyo that I had been digesting alone and away from privy eyes and ears.

While I had been incredibly transparent over giving enough information over the organization of the former Khaos Brigade, I had kept to myself some of the lesser details over their doings.

Things I had long expected to have not been impacting the current situation as they _didn't seem to have the advantages they had in Canon_.

A feeble consideration, one that was easily demolished when the attack at the Tepes Castle began, the assault coming just after a self-destructive invasion issued by Rizevim, proving to me ultimately that the man didn't care to always have the 'upper hand' in his plans.

He had gone in, expecting to find some fierce resistance, but his efforts to try and resurrect the Evil Dragons had failed miserably… but that hadn't been a true defeat.

Not only that instance had brought up how dangerous the defeated group was even though cornered by the three factions of the Christian Pantheon, but this also showed how powerful Rizevim alone was compared to Azazel.

Despite his pact with Fafnir, the Governor-General had barely caused any issue to the son of Lucifer and he would have probably died if the crazy man had decided to take the fight seriously.

Yet the very thing that got me to understand the importance of proper information-giving was the full report I was allowed to look at once the invasion of the capital had concluded.

The leader of Grigori had offered me just a passing read of the paper, but I was caught off-guard by a detail I had missed during the attack itself.

The main force of assault had been created by monsters, Yokais that had been long yearning for violence and had been easy to recruit for such a big operation against humans, especially after what had happened with the Alucard debacle.

Yasaka had also mentioned about the tensions rising within her territories by the time this event happened, forcing her hand multiple times to suppress some act of aggression against pacifist figures within the Kyoto's society.

Things were under control, the war-hawk faction having never represented much of a threat to woman's rule, but it did raise some perplexing thoughts over my true capacity in preventing some of the more dangerous situations from ever happening.

There had been some victims in Tokyo despite the presence of so many defenders, but the light casualty count hadn't left me relieved.

This is why, despite my own doubts over handing over some crucial information to Azazel about Trihexa, I still went through with it even though I didn't offer any foundation whatsoever over said information.

The Fallen Angel had been confused himself at my sudden evidence over the delicate subject, but his trust over me, built over giving more than enough proof of my genuine interest in doing the right thing, surprisingly proved to be a good replacement to this.

I was unnerved by this because I knew that this just didn't make it a proper reason to adopt tighter security controls at the seals keeping Trihexa.

And despite the numerous assurances that the Beast of Apocalypse was never going to be freed with the renewed garrison stationed by the area by the three factions, I was still feeling the unpleasant sensation that something **will still go wrong about it.**

_**It's just paranoia at this point. Even if Azrael decided to go in himself, he would find his way interrupted by too many individuals at once.**_

_To borrow enough time for some God-Tier ally to arrive and either repeal or kill him on sight._

'**See? There is nothing to worry about, Hoitsu.**'

…

"What do you want?" I finally demanded, my voice showing none of the turmoil lingering within my mind and…

Vali merely smiled. "I want two things."

I frowned at the dual request, but gave a slow nod for him to continue.

"First, I want to fight you without any restraints. I don't want you to hold back anything, I know you are always holding something even during serious fight," He explained with a calm tone. "I want you to show me the same full expression of your might, the one you used before we had reached this level, before this became this much important."

_**Drat, he wants you to really not hold back?**_

'**What are you two talking about? I know that Hoitsu never held back when-**'

_He wants me to fight him as if I wanted to kill him. _

'**What?**'

_The instance he is referring about, is the time when I fought Diodora- or rather, I decided to show no mercy against that bastard._

_**He is so interested in having a 'proper fight' that he would deny himself the limits imposed by the tournament.**_

_I wonder if the building would hold well about that._

_**Considering how much strong you two are? I think Zekram might be finding himself paying some hefty costs if that was to happen.**_

Without much of a choice left for me to pick, I merely nodded, prompting the young man to continue.

"The second thing I wish from you is..." Vali paused, drawing some more attention as I got curious over this hesitation. "I want your name."

…

"What?" I logically asked, taken completely off-guard by that request.

He sighed. "Everyone knows you either as Hekishoku or Hoitsu Sakakibara, but I want you to tell me your real name, the one you had before… you came in this dimension."

...Oh Gods.

'**What is he talking about?**'

_**That is a very funny topic-**_

'**Then please, enlighten me over this **_**comedic**_** story behind such an odd statement.**'

"You- You know about that-"

"Yes, I know everything about your past life," The young Devil interrupted with a sigh. "We could go in great lengths about your own past, but then again, I think it's the present that truly matters. I want to hear your real name and I want you to confirm that you wouldn't lie about this anymore."

"I can't tell them-"

"Oh? You can't?" Vali interjected with a mocking tone. "Well, too bad. You are going to tell those you care deeply about this _after_ your match."

"But they-"

It was instantaneous, his right hand reached for my neck as the young man pushed me right onto the nearby wall of the corridor. He looked incredibly furious.

"You are the one that decided to focus on having a family, of having people to trust you," He said with quite the angry tone. "Don't give me the crap that you can't for some stupid reason, if you truly care for them, then do yourself a favor and be truthful about this."

He let go, I blinked blankly as I tried to recover from those words.

Before I could tell him anything as a response, he started to walk away, looking fairly neutral over this discussion and I couldn't help but grimace at the truth behind those words.

If I want to ever commit myself over keeping what I've gained after this much time, it was rightful for those close to me to at least know who really I am.

They had all accepted me as part of this strange family, they have entrusted me with their emotions and their loyalty and… I had given them little in return compared to what I was holding inside of me.

Was it selfishness? Was it fear or… was it just something I couldn't truly explain?

Why? Why was I afraid of any wrong reactions to this if… if I know they care for me?

I took a moment to sight, to glance at Vali and I cracked a tiny smirk at that little wakeup call.

_**To be someone that doesn't care about 'family', he sure does seem to have a soft spot to bring us back on track.**_

_He is quite the oddball about that._

_**Sure and… by the way, what was he talking about when he said 'your match'?**_

…

_Hold up!_

"Wait, what do you mean 'my match'?!"

I started to run towards him, looking particularly confused, but then I noticed at the end of the corridor the large electronic billboard displaying my name and-

FUCK!

* * *

I had no idea that the crowd would have been so much… deafening from this part of the arena.

I didn't expect the acoustics to be this loud and incredibly distracting, something that had to have seriously hindered over the previous fights and was going to create some irritation in the next matches.

Descending quickly from the staircase, I was greeted with the strangest of sights, the further expression I could have ever seen on Rizevim's face.

Childish annoyance, if not anger at the situation before us.

"Why did you even decided to take part to the tournament?" I decided to ask out of confusion.

The man huffed. "Truth be told, I was expecting to make some winning spree and get some pocket money from the bets," He said before pointing his thumb back at the stands. "I have Euclid making some bets over my matches but, much to my immense displeasure, I've to fight you first and that isn't acceptable."

I frowned at that explanation, finding even more confusion from the fact Rizevim was 'distraught' from facing me… especially with how elated he had been in the previous times he had to fight me.

"You… don't think you can win?"

"Considering how much you have grown with that pest that is Vali?" He shrugged with a certain look of sarcasm. "You really want to draw some hopes for me to succeed against you?"

"I'm… not that strong-"

"Forgive me if I ask, but have you considered checking your limits after that week-long training trip?" He shot back with an exasperated voice. "I can tell you already, that I'm not even going to try to survive that possible onslaught."

My frowning deepened. "I can't keep it up for long-"

"But that miser amount of time is more than enough to get me massacred and no, thank you!"

So what? He is planning to yield defeat or-

_**He would have done that already instead of waiting so long.**_

'**He plans to fight, just not by the rules of the tournament.**'

_What?_

'**He said that he couldn't win this situation, but he never said anything about a draw.**'

I blinked at this suggestion and once again spoke.

"But you don't want to surrender without a fight," I pointed out, getting a fascinated look from him. "So you either you bet on losing or-"

"Losing? Me?" The crazy man snorted and shook his head before displaying a scandalized look. "While it would be a good way to get some easy money, it would shatter my reputation of grand fighter and billionaire!"

...Since when was he both of those?

"So drawing?"

Finally his maddening smile appeared on his face. "I mean, would you like to draw or surrender to me?"

I narrowed my eyes at this. "I hope you know that I will not back away from the fight-"

"But you are holding back until some proper challenges," He interrupted again with a mirthful tone. "Either Sairaorg or Vali. Maybe even your little Imoutos or even one of your grils taking part in this little competition."

He wasn't… too wrong about it. Both the Bael and the Lucifer were worth of my full capacity, but I certainly wouldn't go too far against anyone else.

"So how about we go for something of a compromise?" He offered. "You fight me normally, I fight you… lazily and we do lots of flashy moves while also prancing about JoJo or other animes."

"But if it's ending in a draw-"

Before I could finish the sentence I saw the man bolting towards me, fist cocked and ready to rush in the form of a punch.

I jumped backwards, putting some speed in this action I proceeded to match up with the sudden assault.

His fist connected with my elbow, the blow barely felt as it just left a little sting on its passing but soon the match truly began as I slowly realized that the countdown had concluded during our conversation.

"Anyway-" The Super-Devil resumed his part with a bored tone. "You hit me, I hit you, we make some flashy moves but we ultimately draw."

"But why it has to be a 'flashy match' when-"

"Money, brat!" He cackled eagerly as he delivered a kick onto my arms to create some distance between us. "The 'greater' this fight is, the more people will bet on us."

I huffed, using some Silver Linings to distract him while throwing at him some Light Bombs.

"Isn't that a scam?" I asked with an uneasy tone.

"Just like the tournament?" He said while parroting my tone in such a mocking manner. "Why, of course it is!"

"B-But why?"

"Pride and greed..." Rizevim replied with a shrug while mid-dodge. I tried to land a kick on his face, the Devil ducking just in time. "Okay, maybe just greed at this point but… I can buy you a little pony for you fox-eared sister."

"What?" I exclaimed in confusion at that strange comment.

"Ya know, the series about- You know what? Nevermind."

I blinked a few times at that quick dismissal, but at this point and insanity, I just decided to pressured him at this instance of flaw.

"Are you talking about-"

"No, I'm certainly not looking at some kids' cartoon during my free time while Euclid is preparing lunch!" He tensed up a little at the sudden blurting and then… he shrugged. "I mean, can't you just be 20 percent more cooler?"

_This is just… what I'm listening too?!_

_**Memes, minor and old ones at that.**_

"C-Can we change topic?"

"Sure thing, pops," He remarked with a snort. "By the way, what do you think of fishing?"

"Uh- It's a nice activity?"

"I know this nice place where I used to frequent for some little fishing, there were so many species there," Rizevim nodded while concluding this bit of his past. "Hopefully, my aggressive poking directed at Euclid about fishes and how he looked like a catfish didn't get him angry enough to vaporize the place while I was looking away."

I blinked at this, leaving some Light Mines while gaining some more distance away from him, forcing him to rush once more towards me. He tripped all of the explosive gifts I had left behind, looking hardly fazed by the traps.

"You sure sound like you enjoy your life… without world-destruction," I pointed out hesitantly. "Why would you go so far to create chaos… if it doesn't bring you happiness?"

"Who said that I can enjoy just one of the two paths? Why limit myself when I can dip my fingers in ketchup and milk?" The Super-Devil asked with a huff. "Can't I just be a free bean with hopes and dreams?"

_**That's a horrible combination.**_

"Do you even have dreams?"

The Lucifer looked offended by this comment. "Of course I do, but mine is complicated. Very silly and- Why not, I will tell you!"

What?-!

His punch bypassed my arms, reaching my belly but doing only just enough push to force me to back away even more, not a real inch of damage onto my body.

It was all flashy and nobody was getting hurt. The more I thought that this was a fake fight I was having with the ultimate jerk, the more I felt like the world was going madder by the second.

"You know my original plan, right? The one that got Ophis onboard of the whole Khaos Brigade gig?" He inquired with a curious tone, gaining my surprise at that while I delivered two punches, one on his left armpit and the other one on his right cheek.

"You wanted to kill or destroy Great Red by having Trihexa to fight it," I muttered quietly. "Why would you need to-"

"The Dimensional Gap that was once Ophis' home is also a corridor that leads to endless dimensions," The Super-Devil continued to explain, replying my half-question. "I wanted the answers to queries I've been asking myself for so long and… that even now I would like to know about."

From his palm he created a small magical seal and from it flames exploded right towards me, I managed to create a barrier from the shadow born from the torrent of fire, pushing it back to nothingness.

The blast echoing and creating some smoke enough to highlight the might of the contact while also giving some display of power to the still-cheering crowd.

But in that smoke our faces were hidden for a few moments, enough for him to see something odd about Rizevim, an expression I really hadn't expected to see him show to anyone.

There was no smile, there were no games.

There was a regretful scowl and a pair of red dull eyes to match up.

"Is there a version of me that is good?" He mused softly and with some sorrow in his voice. "Was there a point from where I could have avoided this downfall of myself?"

The smoke dissipated and he sighed at the breaking of the scene, his fake smile returning on his face as swiftly as our close-quarters resumed.

"Is it wrong for me to wonder?" He ultimately asked, my frown lessened to a dismayed expression.

Of all enemies that I had faced until now, Rizevim was proving to be the one I was having some trouble to deal with.

Not because of his power or for his quirky nature… no, my stress was conceived by something completely different and deeper.

It was clear he was disappointed in his dissatisfying life, that the shadow of his father…_ my_ monstrous self decided to loom over his own firstborn.

I couldn't help myself but see it as a personal failure, that maybe the reason why Rizevim became like this was because I decided to be a cold father compared to the other siblings of the Morningstar Family.

Did I do it out of fear or for a need to keep up with the canon nature of this tragic individual?

The question itself was bitter to even think about, to even consider that someone like me could even decide to merely do nothing about one of his own children and…

I blinked, the unnerving tone of this line of thoughts starting to get me incensed over Lucifer even more.

The more I heard of him, the more I tried to find part of myself in that mythological legend, the more I found a horrible person that didn't relate to me.

He failed to uphold the moral standard I was so entrenched with while also appearing like a kind but calculative soul.

Lilith's memories of the man… this sick and twisted man…

It just had me angry and murderous.

If or when the encounter was to happen with the massive bastard, I will raise some hell to make it clear that I refuse his legacy.

I refused to become his puppet and… the greatest sign of this genuine drive would be telling the truth to those that mattered.

_**To tie yourself in the heart of those that believe in you.**_

I felt a small smile finally appear as I glanced at the silver-haired with a new resolve. I wanted to fight now.

"Rizevim, I know this might sound odd after this much time has passed but..." I blinked at his interested look. "I want to win. I want to fight a little more seriously and… I want to hear more about your life."

The Super-Devil blinked perplexed, his smile partly faltering. "You are joking-"

"Nope!" My smile widened. "C'mon, you told me about this fishing spot and I don't think this was the only thing you were so proud of your more peaceful life. Tell me more."

The Lucifer looked confused at first, but then curiosity broke through. "What- What if I didn't want to?"

"Then I will have to beat it out of you!" I mirthfully replied, adding more strength in my attacks as one of my punches finally got an annoyed reaction out of him. "Don't leave me hanging now."

He snorted, his smile faltering into a determined one. There was still some insanity, but it was diluted in genuine interest in the battle now.

"Oh? Are you trying to beat me, aren't you?" He asked flamboyantly and eagerly.

"But first I will have to approach you!" I answered with a chuckle.

From there the fight started to pick up the pace, with me using some of the levels of Kaioken while Rizevim tapped more on his usual power and… things got pretty intense.

Last time I fought the man was in Tokyo and I had been close to be beaten considering the great difference in our powers back then even with the Twilight Joker… but now even without that form, I was carefully matching up with the same level of might he had used in that fight.

I was using only the first five Kaioken levels and… I was matching up with his sixty percent.

Yet, despite the increasing of pace and momentum, I found his actions to be willingly delayed as to offer me some advantage over the matter and, just ten more minutes of conversation mixed with magical explosions, a beam clash and some true close combat, I ended up standing before his sitting and defeated form.

He looked a little winded and while he looked ready to continue, the Devil had decided to concede defeat in quite the joking manner as the referee approached and accepted the gesture of his surrender.

Helping him up, we both made our way to the staircase, ignoring the crowd letting out another round of deafening roaring at the proclamation of my victory.

"I hope you remember that you promised me to show me this fishing spot," I reminded him with a tiny smile. "Now I want to see if its as extensive as you described it to be."

"Of course it is!" He huffed in faux annoyance. "I can assure you that this place is incredibly cool to visit and maybe spend some holidays by."

"I will pester you once the tournament is over. I want to see it now!" I pressed more, causing the man to chuckle.

"Then I will be prepare some anti-pestering maneuvers to avoid your bratting around."

I nodded at him as we started to walk up to the staircase and, once he had gone to retreat away from the contenders and back to 'find where Euclid had set his peeping spot'.

Left alone and ready to return to my seat, I made my way back to where I was previously sitting and-

"Niichan, what was that?"

I almost jumped at the sudden question from Kunou, my head turning to look by my side only to see the blonde rush to hug me before I could reply to her query.

"Hello there, Imouto," I greeted happily as I patted her head much to her visible glee. "And I guess you are referring about my fight with Rizevim, right?"

She nodded, her golden eyes on my face.

"That and what you were talking with Vali. He seemed smug for some reason and-"

"Nothing much important… but I guess we could have a talk away about it."

Her fox ears tensed in attention. "Is anything important?" She inquired quickly, to which I gave a slow nod.

"Mostly yes… but it's nothing worrying. Just something I will have to also tell to the others with… proper timing."

I couldn't survive telling about this secret to the whole group. I just couldn't bear myself to do it.

So I was going to start with Kunou as I was perfectly sure that she would digest this revelation better and… maybe I could have gained some ally in explaining this when it was the time of the rest of the people.

_**With a last glance back to notice the billboard and the names appearing there, I decided to venture away from any unwanted witnesses as I prepared to deliver some truth bomb.**_

_**Still, I shivered when I realized whom was going to fight next, praying for both contenders.**_

**Xenovia Quarta vs. Seekvaira Agares!**

* * *

**AN**

**It's been a long time since I've last updated. It wasn't anything intentional, just had a lot to do in the last two weeks, some RL stuff and something about some modding project for a game I'm following closely.**

**So… Rizevim is a broken little thing. Any surprises? I bet some, but I think it would be easy to pinpoint the sign of this fragmented state of mind.**

**He was painted a villain from his very birth and the worst part that the one that began this trend was his own father.**

**Does that absolve Rizevim from his crimes? No, but it does show that there is a reason behind his mindset, his chaotic sense of fun that defies morals and logic itself.**

**He is a villain for sure, but not one that was given the chance to be someone else.**

**Still, any thought about next fight? Xenovia is a swordswoman and Seekvaira is…**

…

**Wait, did I just put Artoria against a stronger, female version of Kiritsugu?**

…

**Like really, I hadn't noticed that one. :o**

_**Future milestone 1: 1170 Followers and Favorite.**_

**P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin**

**k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin**


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